Kon'ichi's Story
by Melinda-chan
Summary: Chapter Eleven Uploaded! When the InuYasha group decides to help a kitsune hanyou, they found themselves in a middle of a conspiracy! Can they help the boy clear his mother's name? Has Kon'ichi lost it? Read and review!
1. Chapter One

**Kon'ichi's Story **

**By Melinda-chan**

Note: First of all, I recommend that you read "A Place To Belong" on my profile page before you read this as it would have the same theme.

Extra Note: This fic is rated PG-13 though it wouldn't contain anything that goes beyond what an uncut episode of Inu-Yasha contains. Still for younger readers, reader discretion is advised.

If this doesn't concern you, enjoy reading!

He was just an ordinary farmer but Hatoshi was going to experience a very extraordinary event.

The sun was setting in the west and the farmer was walking through his rice paddy one last time before the day ended. It was then when he saw her. She had long red hair and dazzling green eyes. Her red kimono was covered with flowers of all kinds. Hatoshi stood there stunned by the beauty of this creature.

'What kind of woman is this? She has red hair and green eyes. And is it me or is the grass moving away where she walks?' Hatoshi thought. Then it dawned on him. 'She must be an earth spirit!' He then bowed low to the ground. He then spoke out loud. "I feel unworthy to be at your presence! I request the reason for you being with me."

The woman walked toward the man. She then touched him on his forehead. He felt a calm feeling come over him as she looked down at him with a gentle expression on her face. There was no doubt in the man's mind now-she was an earth spirit and a beautiful one at that.

She then went down and hold him close to her. He could smell her scent as she brought him to her breasts. It was the most delightful smells he had ever smelled. It was a mixture of cherry blossoms, persimmons and fresh grass. He felt that the spirit had come from heaven and brought herself before him. He smiled as he got the message she silently gave him.

"I already have a wife," Hatoshi told her. The gentle expression on the woman's face did not change but she took her hand inside his hand. "May I ask what are you and your name?"

The woman said nothing but hold him close like before. Hatoshi went into a trance where he saw her true form- a red nine-tailed fox. Flowers of all kinds surrounded her as vines covered her body, including her private parts. Hatoshi stood there amazed. She then uttered a sound.

He immediately understood her.

"You're a kitsune and your name is Nari" the man said. The fox spirit nodded. "It is a beautiful name". The woman then returned to her human form, this time she had red fox ears and her nine tails were evident. The man realized that up to that moment everything was just an illusion. He then had a change of mind and heart.

"Let us go to the forest. No one is there right now. Would you come here again?" Hatoshi asked her. The woman simply took his hand and led him to the forest.

"Let me guess. You're going to say there is an ominous evil cloud over the village" Inu-Yasha said to Miroku. Kagome, Shippo, Sango and Kirara were with them walking on the path to the next village.

"This is a serious mission, Inu-Yasha. I heard from the innkeeper that a demon had attacked a nearby village and killed a number of people. It then attacked other villages. I think we should investigate," Miroku told him.

"What type of demon was it, houshi-sama?" Sango questioned.

Miroku seemed to hesitate. "He said it was a kitsune."

"That can't be!" Shippo exclaimed. "Most kitsunes don't attack villages or kill people like that! It's not normal for us to do that!"

"It may have a shard of the Shikon Jewel embedded in it. That would explain its unusual behaviour", Miroku suggested. "Or it could be a ruse made by Naraku. I want to find out in any case." Inu-Yasha turned to Kagome.

"Do you sense a jewel shard anywhere?" he asked her. Kagome shook her head.

"I hope that the kitsune is being controlled by a jewel shard because I really don't want to fight against it" Shippo said. "I don't think I could bear fighting it."

"What happens if it attacked one of us, let's say Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked him. Shippo looked uncomfortable.

"I guess I would have to fight the kitsune but I would not like doing it" Shippo answered.

"Don't worry Shippo" Kagome told him. "I am sure we can defeat the kitsune peacefully." Inu-Yasha grumbled his disapproval but Kagome ignored it.

"Get out of here demon!" a man's voice caused them to look up ahead. They then saw a couple of men threw what appeared to be a human with red hair and red fox ears onto the ground. He wore a dirty-looking brown kimono. He had cuts and bruises on his face. The boy snarled at the men.

"I am only half demon!" the boy protested. One of the men whacked his staff on the boy. Kagome and the rest of the group looked horrified. Shippo went behind Kagome. Inu-Yasha stared at the men coldly.

"Silence, you demon! Why should you speak when you should have never been born? Go to your mother, demon, if you wish but do not think of coming to this village ever again!" the man that hit him told him. "We used to honour your mother with gifts but look how she treated us!"

"My mother would never attack this village or any of the other villages! She is a gentle demon! She would never kill anyone!" the hanyou retorted. His eyes then turned a light red. Kagome became alarmed. She knew from being with Inu-Yasha that when pushed too far a hanyou could allow his demon side to control him. This could turn into serious trouble.

"We saw her kill with our own eyes! Your own father saw his wife and his children, your half-siblings, slaughtered before his own eyes thanks to her! Maybe a bastard child like yourself could never understand-"

"My mother would never-" the hanyou was silenced by another whack of the stick by the man.

"If you would not shut up and leave, we should make you do so!" the man declared. He and his companion then simultaneously started to beat the young hanyou.

"They're beating him up!" Shippo said, still behind Kagome but looking on. He looked very frightened.

"Someone should stop them!" Kagome exclaimed. Sango had her hands over her mouth, too horrified to speak. Miroku decided to run toward the men.

"Excuse me!" Miroku shouted, hoping to get their attention. It worked. "How can you beat this defenseless young child and call yourselves men? You may believe that his mother is a murderer but that is no excuse to hurt her child or are you pass any moral sense yourselves?" Miroku sounded very angry. Indeed his staff was shaking in his right hand.

"Who are you and why are you concerned about this demon brat? Or do you wish to resolve this on your own?" one of the men asked him suspiciously.

"I am Miroku and as a houshi I cannot stand and watch you beat up a helpless child regardless whether it has demon blood or not" Miroku told them. He sounded calmer but there was still an edge to his voice.

The men looked at each other in amazement. The boy tried to get up. The men then laughed.

"It is a strange thing for someone of your position to try to help someone like this" of the men said. He then kicked the child, causing the boy to fall down again. "If you care so much about this thing so much, then you can have him. He is not a part of the village anymore." With that the two men walked away. Miroku clutched the rosary beads in his right hand as if he was planning to suck the men up. However he did not remove them. Instead he turned his attention to the red-haired half demon that was still on the ground facing away from the houshi. He was trembling.

"Do not fear me. I will not hurt you. Did they hurt you badly?" Miroku asked the child.

"Is he okay?" Kagome asked, running. The rest of the group followed her.

"Did they beat him badly houshi-sama?" Sango questioned.

"I imagine that they caused some bruises" Miroku answered. He leaned closer to the red-haired hanyou. "Maybe if I can just-" He then touched the back of the boy's collar. This caused the boy to react. All of a sudden he turned around and slashed Miroku's face. The houshi's eyes went wide and he fell down.

"Houshi-sama!" Sango cried out. She and Kirara went to his side and propped him on his knees. A long red line soon formed on Miroku's right cheek. Sango turned to the red-haired hanyou. "Why did you do that? He was only concerned for you!" His voice was bitter.

"He was only trying to help you!" Shippo exclaimed. "I know that you're mad but you shouldn't take your anger on an innocent person!"

The red-haired hanyou sprang up, snarling and baring his nails at the little kitsune. Shippo got scared and went behind Kagome. Inu-Yasha stepped forward, grabbing Tetsusaiga by the hilt. The boy saw this and sulked.

"Just as I thought" Inu-Yasha said with a little disgust. "It was really an act."

The red-haired boy didn't like that.

With blinding speed, he attacked Inu-Yasha. He tried to dig his nails into the white-haired hanyou's face but Inu-Yasha was quick enough to turn away and dodge his attack. This did not deter the boy who grabbed Inu-Yasha's long white hair. The dog hanyou tried to shake him off but it didn't work. The red-haired hanyou held onto Inu-Yasha's hair as the other hanyou thrashed side to side. The boy then grabbed onto the back of Inu-Yasha's red kimono. Inu-Yasha was hopping now, swearing under his breath. It was starting to amuse the rest of the group. Even Miroku tried hard not to laugh.

It was not so funny a moment later when Inu-Yasha used his sword to separate himself from the other hanyou. The red-haired boy landed on the ground with some of Inu-Yasha's white hair in his fingers. The dog hanyou walked menacingly as he looked at him with vehement eyes. The other hanyou cowered. Kagome had enough.

"Sit!" she commanded. Immediately Inu-Yasha fell flat on his face. The red-haired hanyou was puzzled. He came to the white-haired hanyou and sniffed him.

"He's not dead you know" Kagome told him. Shippo went toward the boy.

"I can tell you're a kitsune half-blood. I am a kitsune too. My name is Shippo" the little kitsune said. The kitsune hanyou looked at him with his ears perked up. He looked really surprised. He then looked at the humans then at the white-haired beast (as he saw him) still lying on the ground. He backed away unsure of their intentions.

"Don't be afraid of us," Kagome said, trying to soothe him. "My name is Kagome. I am sorry about those men that tried to beat you up. Let us help you. Please let us help you". The red-haired hanyou looked nervously at her but said nothing. Kagome opened her hands at him, hoping that he would see that she meant no harm.

"Hey brat!" Inu-Yasha yelled, getting up. The kitsune hanyou snarled at him. "Are you going to speak? We know you have a tongue. So say something!" The red-haired boy hissed in reply. Inu-Yasha snorted. "You're too weak for me! Why don't you tell us who you are? It's not like you can do anything else!"

"Inu-Yasha! That's enough!" Kagome yelled. She then turned to the kitsune hanyou. "Inu-Yasha may seem bad but he wouldn't hurt you if you don't hurt us. We tried to help you by stopping those men. You can at least tell us your name." There was no response from the boy.

"Let's forget about him. We're trying to find the demon that is attacking the villages. This demon- and I hope it better be- may have one of the jewel shards. If we can get it-" Inu-Yasha was suddenly interrupted by the boy.

"Kon'ichi" he spoke.

"What?" the other hanyou asked, confused.

"My name is Kon'ichi and that demon is my mother", the boy replied. "You're not going to hurt her. I'll hurt you before you even have the chance."

"Like you tried to do before?" Inu-Yasha sneered. The kitsune hanyou bared his teeth and nails.

"I am warning you now! Stay away from her!" Kon'ichi warned. His eyes went a little red. Kagome saw he was getting mad again.

"That is enough!" Kagome yelled. She looked at Kon'ichi and then at Inu-Yasha. "I know that Inu-Yasha tried to attack you, but you did attack one of us so I think you should apologize." She pointed to Miroku. The slash on his right cheek had stopped bleeding. "Or at least apologize to Miroku-sama!" The kitsune hanyou lowered his head in shame. (Note: Line error.)

"I thought he was going to hurt me" Kon'ichi said in a low voice. Kagome sighed.

I see that you have been hurt before so it's not surprising that you reacted that way. But we are not going to hurt you. Can you let us help you?" Kagome asked. Kon'ichi stared at her vehemently. He then lowered his head again. It was then that she noticed that he was crying. She wrapped her arms around her. He seemed to calm down after she did that. Inu-Yasha's face softened.

"Kagome-chan, we need a bandage for Houshi-sama" Sango told her.

"Oh right. Shippo, talk to Kon'ichi-kun while I tend to Miroku-sama", Kagome told him. "Maybe you can get him to talk more." Kon'ichi looked away angrily from the little kitsune.

"I don't want to talk to you. You want to hurt my mother," the kitsune hanyou said, glancing darkly at Inu-Yasha. The dog hanyou ignored him. This irritated Kon'ichi even more.

"We want to help your mother not hurt her" Shippo explained. "We heard that a kitsune had been attacking villages. We know that's unusual so we want to know the reason and how we can return things to normal. Were those men that hurt you were right? Was it your mother that did it?"

Kon'ichi did not reply. Instead he put his head between the long brown sleeves of his brown kimono. Kagome glanced back at him as she opened the first-aid kit. Miroku sat close to her on the ground.

"This is going to sting Miroku-sama" Kagome warned him. She dabbed something from a small bottle onto a cotton ball. She then put it on Miroku's cut. He jerked back.

"Ow! That burns!" Miroku exclaimed.

"I told you it was going to sting!" Kagome told him.

"You told me that it was going to sting, not burn!" Miroku said. Kagome got red in her cheeks.

"Sorry about that," Kagome apologized. "I'll try not to put too much on you." She went back to treating Miroku.

"So are you going to tell us what really happened?" Shippo decided to ask again to the kitsune hanyou. "We all like to know." The red-haired boy took his head out of his brown sleeves.

"You are going to believe me?" Kon'ichi asked in a soft voice.

"Of course we will. You know your mother more than we do. I am sure that your mother is innocent," Shippo said.

"My mother would never kill anyone. She is a very gentle demon, perhaps the most in the land. There is no way she could have done what people said she did," Kon'ichi said. Everybody now looked at him. Miroku now had a bandage on his right cheek.

"We know something horribly wrong happened. We heard the men accusing your mother of attacking the village. It is apparent that they saw what happened. They also claimed that she killed your father and his family. I know it does not justify what they did to you but we want to solve this before something worse happens," Kagome said. Kon'ichi sighed.

"My mother told me that she met my father outside the village one day. My father said she was very beautiful," the kitsune hanyou's cheeks then reddened. "His wife was a bit upset but that would be normal."

"Your mother must have been very beautiful if your father would forsake his wife for an hour of bliss with her," Miroku said with a lecherous expression on his face. Everybody but Kon'ichi and Shippo got irked.

"Ignore him. You'll understand when you get older," Kagome said to Kon'ichi.

"I think I do understand" Kon'ichi explained. "I know that my birth was not proper. However, when I was introduced to my siblings when I was three, they took into me right away. They even called Aka-chan because of my red hair. (Note: "Aka" means "red" in Japanese.)

"What about the grown-ups?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Some thought I was a freak but I know they never saw someone with red hair or green eyes before" Kon'ichi said. "They respected my mother so they treated me well." His face then turned sad. "That is, until they accuse my mother of attacking the village and killing some of the villagers, including my father's wife and children." He then lowered his head. "My mother tried to rectify things with the remaining villagers but something horrible must have happened. I don't know what exactly happened but many more villagers died, including my father." Tears dropped from his eyes and onto the ground. "My mother managed to escape but she has been acting unusual since then. She went off, leaving me behind. And since the villagers couldn't get at my mother, they wrecked her shrine." He then put his head into his brown sleeves, trying to stifle his cries.

Kagome could not help but feel sorry for him. He was only a child and yet had experienced so much pain and suffering. 'This is not fair' she thought. She knew that he deserved better than this, even if her father had an affair with a demon. But he was so innocent. He definitely deserved better than this.

"Kon'ichi-kun, it's okay. Things have been bad for you. We know this isn't fair. You shouldn't suffer so much when you're so young," Kagome said to him. She then went down with him and wrapped her arms around him. He tried to move away so she scratched the back of his left ear. She felt him relax in her arms. This made her happy. Everybody else except for Kirara, who couldn't express much, had a sullen look on their faces. Inu-Yasha tried to hide his expression but one could tell he was thinking. Miroku was also thinking.

"Kon'ichi, you said that your mother had a shrine. Is it still standing?" Miroku asked. The kitsune hanyou looked up at him.

"Yes but it is badly damaged. I don't think you can fix it" Kon'ichi responded.

"May I at least see it?" Miroku asked.

"I don't see why not," the brown-clothed boy said. He got away from Kagome's embrace and went into the forest. Everybody followed him. When he finally stopped, everybody was in for a shock.

There were stones and splintered wood everywhere. There were bits of rice on the ground. There were broken small vases and trampled flowers. The kitsune hanyou looked like he was about to cry again. He picked up a broken piece of a vase.

"I remember a time when people from the nearby villages would come and bring flowers and rice to the shrine. The shrine looked pretty then. My mother and I would eat the rice. During the winter, it is what kept us alive," Kon'ichi told them. "Now with my mother gone and the shrine destroyed, I don't know how I'll survive the winter."

"People can surely change," Sango said. Kon'ichi went to her.

"You must believe me. My mother couldn't attack the village at least the first time. She loves humans and made sure that the ground was fertile at the right time so people can grow their crops. The people in turn gave her rice and flowers in appreciation," Kon'ichi raised his brown sleeves. "She is a good mother. She made this from dried grass. She has other great skills too. She can make the soil fertile simply by walking on it." The humans marvelled at this.

"Wait a minute! What is your mother's name?" Shippo asked.

"Her name is Nari" the young half-demon replied. He then saw the astonishment on Shippo's face. "Have you heard of her before?"

"I can't believe that Nari is your Okaa!" Shippo exclaimed. He then went to Kagome. "Nari is a very powerful kitsune. She has great power over the earth and the things that grow out of it. Demons and humans alike respect her. Most of them at least. The only way she could kill anyone is in self-defense."

"Kon'ichi, do you know if your mother had an enemy that could be a demon that could assume her form?" the houshi asked him.

"My mother is respected by all the demon lords and the kitsune clans," the kitsune hanyou replied. "I don't recall any demon that personally is an enemy of my mother but my mother did say that some demons are getting more powerful. Do you know any demon that would want to hurt my mother's reputation?"

An awkward silence ensued.

"We are hunting a demon that is capable of taking any form. It has in the past assumed a person's form and tried to deceive others through it. Of course we have no proof that it is the culprit but your case is typical of its tricks," Miroku told him.

"He likes to toy with people's feelings too" Sango told the kitsune hanyou. "This is something that he would do, that's for sure."

"What is his name?" Kon'ichi asked.

"Naraku" Sango replied coldly.

"I have never heard of it" Kon'ichi said.

"You will if he's behind this" Sango said. Kon'ichi looked down. Nobody said a word for a few seconds. Miroku then poked at a stone with his staff.

"We need to clean this mess up. There is no need for anyone to see this disgrace" Miroku said. Everybody nodded. Kagome and Shippo started to help him.

"You're cleaning this mess? Do you really want to help me?" Kon'ichi asked, surprised.

"We believe that your mother initially did not attack the village. Of all the demons we fought, none was a kitsune" Kagome told him, picking up broken bits of wood.

"Your Okaa is not a bad demon. I am a kitsune as well and I'll never hurt anyone unless it was in self-defense or trying to protect someone. I am sure your mother didn't do anything bad" Shippo told Kon'ichi.

"One of the worst ways to dishonour a god or a goddess-," Miroku said as he picked up a broken kitsune statue,"-is to destroy her shrine." The priest in him showed up in the disgust of his voice. "And it looks they went all the way too." Sango also picked up a broken statue. Kirara picked up a broken piece of vase and gave it to Sango. Inu-Yasha's ears suddenly twitched.

"Inu-Yasha, what is it?" Kagome asked. She noticed him looking at the trees. "What's wrong?" This caught the attention of everyone else.

"Someone is here," Inu-Yasha said. Kon'ichi sniffed the air.

"Mama?" Kon'ichi shouted. He then ran into the trees. Everyone put their stuff down and went after him.

They saw Kon'ichi stand next to a small pile of fruits and nuts. He looked a little sad as he picked up a pear. Kagome saw that the fruits and nuts were on a brown sheet that looked similar to his kimono.

"Did your mother do this?" Kagome asked.

"No" the kitsune hanyou replied. "My mother made the cloth but I do not smell her in the air. She probably got one of the forest sprites to do it. I must have smelled the cloth." He then touched it. "For the last two weeks I have found a pile of food on this cloth nearby. It has sustained me for now but I am worried that winter might come and I am not sure if Mother's leaf sprites could help me then."

"Kon'ichi-kun, we are going to help you find your mother and resolve this problem" Kagome said.

"Would you really do that?" Kon'ichi asked. Kagome looked at her friends. Miroku, Sango and Shippo nodded. Inu-Yasha stared at her sharply and then turned his head away.

"Feh. Do as you wish. As long as Naraku or a jewel shard is involved," he said. Kagome smiled and looked back at the kitsune hanyou.

"I see" Kon'ichi said. He seemed to be very quiet. He then bowed down. "I think you for helping me. I hope I won't be a bother."

"Don't worry, Kon'ichi" Kagome said. The kitsune hanyou picked up a red plum and gave it to her.

"You can have this. I don't need to eat everything," he told her. Kagome looked touched.

'He is such a sweet boy after what he has been through,' Kagome thought. 'I wonder if things would be better for him in the future.'

In the meantime, Inu-Yasha looked at Kon'ichi with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"This fruit is very good," Kagome said a few minutes later. She had unwrapped all the food packs and everybody was eating from them and the Kon'ichi's food pile. Inu-Yasha, Shippo, Kirara and Kon'ichi were cracking the nuts in their mouths and eating the meats while the full-blooded humans concentrated on the softer fruits.

"I think we should set up camp here," Miroku said. "It's not like the villagers are going to help us after what happened." Kon'ichi put his ears down.

"This is all my fault," he said. Shippo went to him.

"Of course not" the full-blooded kitsune told him. "Those men were just being mean. You know that."

"Besides it's not like we have camped out before" Sango said.

"Don't worry Kon'ichi-kun. With Inu-Yasha here, I am sure nothing is going to happen to us" Kagome tried to assure the kitsune hanyou.

"The earth sprites have protected me when I rested and on the night when I lost my demonic powers" Kon'ichi explained.

"You mean the new moon?" Kagome asked. The kitsune hanyou looked surprised.

"How did you know that?" he asked her.

"That's when Inu-Yasha loses his demonic powers" Kagome explained. This caused a look of astonishment on Kon'ichi's face. He went to the dog hanyou, who looked a little peeved.

"Are you really a hanyou?" Kon'ichi asked him.

"You didn't know?" Inu-Yasha replied. The kitsune hanyou took a few sniffs of his red kimono.

"So the human scent on you is from your blood?" Kon'ichi questioned.

"Where else did you think it was coming from?" Inu-Yasha responded.

"I am so happy! I never met another hanyou before!" Kon'ichi exclaimed.

"Well, yeah, we're a rare breed" Inu-Yasha said dismissively. Kon'ichi apparently ignored the tone of Inu-Yasha's voice.

"Is there other hanyous like us?" the kitsune hanyou inquired curiously.

"Yes but-" Inu-Yasha paused, thinking about Jinenji. "People don't treat us very well."

"Why not?" Kon'ichi asked in total innocence. Inu-Yasha seemed a bit stunned by this.

"Why don't you think those men were beating you for?" the dog hanyou asked him. Kon'ichi looked at him questioningly.

"Inu-Yasha! That's enough!" Kagome yelled. She then looked at Kon'ichi. "I know if they hated you because of what you are, they would have not accepted you in the first place. I believe that as soon as we find the source of this mess, they would accept you and your mother again." Inu-Yasha snorted and turned away.

"Besides we have a more pressing issue at hand, like why did his mother abandoned him," Miroku said.

"Do you suppose that she knows she is in danger?" Shippo asked him.

"Maybe she wants to search for the culprit and thinks that Kon'ichi might be threatened if he stays with her?" Sango suggested.

"But that doesn't make sense" Kagome joined in the discussion. "If she wants him to be secure, why did she let him loose like this? He could be hurt by wild animals, demons or-" Kagome then thought about the men that beaten Kon'ichi earlier that day. "-Or evil men."

"Mother did take me to the mountains and told me to stay there until she comes back. The mountain sprites provided me with food so I did not starve. Still when she did not come back in seven days I went back to the village. The people there accused my mother if being a murderer. Of course I tried to defend her," Kon'ichi explained. Everybody, including Inu-Yasha, listened attentively though the dog hanyou still had his back toward them.

"So that's when we saw those men beating you" Kagome said.

"Oh no," Kon'ichi responded. "That wasn't the first time they beat me." At this Inu-Yasha turned around, looking very much surprised. "I am trying to get them to understand that my mother would never do such a thing. But they wouldn't listen to me."

"Do you mean you keep going to the village and they keep throwing you out? I have to hand it to you for being persistent" Kagome told him.

"It sounds like being stupid to me," Inu-Yasha said out loud. He then went to Kon'ichi who looked up to him. "You heard what those men said. They never accepted you. They probably only tolerated you because they feared your mother's wrath if they did otherwise."

"That's enough Inu-Yasha!" Kagome exclaimed in horror. Still she wondered whether he was right.

"But they-they did not try to kill me. If they wanted to, they would have done it. My mother would not know the truth. It is my father's village and I know the people there," Kon'ichi said. Inu-Yasha did not say anything in reply but the look on his face showed he was not convinced. Kagome didn't know what to say to him.

"In any case, the sun is going down. We should make a fire and prepare for the night" Miroku said. It was at this moment that Kirara yawned.

"Houshi-sama, you'll put out the fire before you fall asleep, right? The earth sprites have been kind to me and I do not want their home destroyed or my food source" Kon'ichi told him.

'He's so gentle and kind' Kagome thought. 'His mother raised him up very well.'

"Of course we will," Miroku said.

"Inu-Yasha will keep guard," Kagome told him. "He'll watch over us when we are asleep."

"May I keep watch too?" Kon'ichi asked. "Mother and I used to watch over the village. Of course Mother refused to do it anymore when the people turned against her."

"You can help Inu-Yasha if you want. I promise that we will try to restore things but I cannot give you any guarantee" Kagome said. Kon'ichi nodded.

"I understand" the kitsune hanyou said. He then smiled. "I don't care about being thrown out more than I care about not having my mother around. She is the only family I have left."

Kagome sighed and embraced him. There was no more words left she could say to reassure him. She only hoped that this would not last a long time. Kon'ichi would not grow up to be like Inu-Yasha, Kagome thought. He was a sweet little boy. She did not want him to change at all.

Everybody was now sleeping. Kagome was in her sleeping bag with Shippo. Sango was sleeping next to them with Kirara. Miroku was sleeping next to a tree with his staff in his right hand. Inu-Yasha was up on a tree watching in the direction of the village. He could not forget the men that hurt Kon'ichi or the words they uttered. He heard similar words directed at him in his lifetime. He knew that once the village rejected Kon'ichi, he would never be able to go back. He would have to learn that not everybody would accept as a person. He would be viewed as evil by every superstitious person, which would be almost everybody in a typical village. He would need to distrust people and to be strong so at least he could protect himself. Maybe he should tell him that.

In the meantime, Kon'ichi stared out into the sky. His kitsune-sharp eyes and ears did not notice any danger. He knew that wild animals were in the forest and demons were out as well. His mother's presence alone would have deterred any smart animal or demon from coming close to her or the villages that she protected. But she was no longer here and no animal or demon was afraid of him. He looked at the fire site. There was no fire- the humans had kept their word and put it out before they slept. He thought of Inu-Yasha. It was thrilling to learn that he was also a hanyou. Kon'ichi was not alone. Yet his words made him think. Was Inu-Yasha right? Was his mother the only reason why the village tolerated him? Did they hate him from the start? Kon'ichi held the sheet closer to him. It still had his mother's scent. He decided not to dwell on it. Still he could not forget the hatred in the men's eyes as they beat him. He tried not to let it upset him but he sometimes felt anger building inside him, waiting to erupt. He knew he could easily kill them but he would not allow his demon self to control him. But what would happen if they truly want to kill him?

Kon'ichi dozed off still holding the cloth. The half-moon shone on the ground. A shadow formed over the kitsune hanyou. Outstretched claws then reached for him.

End of Chapter One

I hope everyone enjoys this first chapter. I like to thank Inu-Inu for nominating my poem "A Place To Belong" in the Best Songfic/Poem category by the Inuyasha Fan Guild. I hope to do well. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please do not forget to review!


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two of "Kon'ichi's Story"**

**By Melinda-chan**

SLASH! The claws of Kon'ichi tried to reach the person that touched him. The creature went back. It smiled, baring its fangs.

"So you can fight back after all," the voice said. It sounded familiar to Kon'ichi.

"Inu-Yasha?" Kon'ichi asked. He then stood up. His eyes saw the white-haired hanyou under the moonlight. "You're still up?"

"We are supposed to be guarding, remember?" Inu-Yasha reminded him.

"I know" Kon'ichi said. He sat next to the dog hanyou who sat down. He leaned his head against him. Inu-Yasha looked down.

"What is it?" Inu-Yasha asked in a rude manner.

"You're really a hanyou, aren't you?" Kon'ichi questioned.

"What do you mean by that? I already told you I am one!" Inu-Yasha replied, not sounding happy.

"Your mother was a demon?" the kitsune hanyou asked.

"No. She was human" Inu-Yasha replied sounding a little uncomfortable.

"No way! Your mother was a human?! She must have been strong to bear a half-demon child!" Kon'ichi exclaimed.

"I don't remember much about her," Inu-Yasha answered. He then shook his head, as if trying to get rid of the image of his mother from his mind. "Listen, Kon'ichi, I know that you think that people hate you because of what your mother did, but didn't you heard what those men said to you today?" Kon'ichi lowered his head in response.

"Yeah" the kitsune hanyou replied. "I know I am a half-breed and a bastard." He dug his claws into the ground. "They do not have to tell me that. But what can I do?"

"You seem to have a bit power in you" Inu-Yasha said. "I bet you could be a powerful demon."

"I guess" Kon'ichi said. Inu-Yasha saw him fidget with a necklace around his neck. "But I am a little too young to become a demon yet."

"Yet? You mean you can become a demon when you get older?" Inu-Yasha asked, sounding very interested.

"My mother said that I could become a full-blooded kitsune when I turn eighteen," Kon'ichi told him. "There is a ceremony-I forgot the name- when I could become a full-blooded kitsune. But my mother told me that it would take me to my death and I would also lose my human soul in the process. And I would be a weak demon too."

"You'll still be stronger than a human," Inu-Yasha argued. "And if you are strong, no one would hurt you again."

"But that would not make people like me more," Kon'ichi told him. "People are still not going to accept me as I am and I don't think other demons would accept me as well. So why should I become a demon? Besides I still love my father."

"This is not about your father or anyone else. In this world we are hated because we're different. To be strong, that's what matters. In the end you have only yourself to look out for. Nobody else will do it for you" Inu-Yasha said getting louder with every sentence. Kon'ichi thought for a moment.

"But how do you know that this isn't the most powerful you can be? You said it with so much conviction" Kon'ichi said.

"I got a taste of being a full-fledged demon when my demon half got in control a few times" Inu-Yashas told him. Kon'ichi's eyes went wide.

"That-that is horrible!" Kon'ichi exclaimed. "My mother said that when a half-demon allows his demon side to take over, he goes berserk!" He shuddered. "I promised her that I'll never allow my demon side to take over me." He fidgeted with his necklace again.

"Well, if I was that strong, you can imagine how I'll be when I collected all the Shikon jewel fragments and become a full-fledged demon" Inu-Yasha said, smiling. "I'll be strong and no one will ever try to hurt me again."

"What about your mother? She bore you, knowing that you'll carry her blood. Do you hate her that much?" Kon'ichi asked.

"I didn't ask to be born to be a hanyou" Inu-Yasha responded. "I always wanted to be a demon. You'll have to sacrifice something to get what you want sometimes. That's a fact of life."

"But I don't think your mother would want you to become a full-fledged demon" Kon'ichi said. "Don't you care at all about her?" Inu-Yasha knocked him in the head.

"Didn't you hear me before?" the dog hanyou said. "You can be a demon, right? If you can become stronger, why don't do it? Nobody is going to accept you as you are now. Sooner or later you are going to realize the human part of you is your weak point and demons and bad humans will exploit it. The strongest survive in this world, remember that." Kon'ichi folded his brown-sleeved arms.

"In any case, I am too young to undergo any major transformation" Kon'ichi told him. "Besides, your father must have been a pwerful demon so why is he not in this world anymore?" Inu-Yasha felt a loss of words.

"That-that is irrelevant" Inu-Yasha stammered. He shook his head. "My father made a mistake that cost his life. That's all." He stood up. "I know what I am talking about here! To have human blood is to always have a weak spit in your body! Would you be weak than strong?" he asked him.

"I do not want to lose my human soul!" Kon'ichi said out loud.

"And I am telling that it should not matter!" Inu-Yasha yelled back.

"But it's not right to do it like that!" Kon'ichi retorted.

"Don't you get it? This world is full of people that want to hurt you! One moment of weakness and you're done!" Inu-Yasha told him. Kon'ichi fought back tears.

"I refuse to be ashamed of what I am! Mother told me that I would lose my human soul if I become a full-fledged kitsune!" Kon'ichi exclaimed.

"And I am not telling you that it should not-" Inu-Yasha started to say when he heard a girl's voice.

"Sit!" Kagome yelled. Inu-Yasha immediately fell down. Kon'ichi went to him.

"I don't know why you want to be a demon in the first place," the kitsune hanyou said. "You can't control your own body."

"KA-GO-ME!" the dog hanyou growled. Kagome appeared, looking very angry.

"I can't believe you would say that to him!" Kagome scolded. Shippo, Miroku, Sango and Kirara followed her.

"I know you can be rude, but I never thought you would go this low," Shippo said. The dog hanyou got up.

"I didn't ask for your opinion" Inu-Yasha told him.

"Well you sure didn't ask for Kon'ichi's opinion either" Shippo said. The dog hanyou looked at the kitsune hanyou. Kon'ichi's ears were already down.

"Inu-Yasha, you're trying to make Kon'ichi-kun feel bad for being what he is," Kagome scolded on. "Just because you don't like being a half-demon gives you no right to tell Kon'ichi what he should feel about himself!" The dog hanyou went back as Kagome hurled her words at him like daggers.

"Why did you have to yell so loud, Inu-Yasha? We were trying to sleep" Shippo said. He then turned to Kon'ichi. "Try to ignore what he said. He sometimes gets into an I-hate-being-a-half-demon mood." Kon'ichi smiled slightly but when he looked at Inu-Yasha he turned away looking very sad.

"Kon'ichi has been forsaken by his mother and his father's village has disowned him," Miroku said. "I think the last thing he needs is more negative things to think about." Inu-Yasha looked down at the red-haired hanyou.

'All I did was tell the truth,' the dog hanyou thought. 'At least I burst his pretty bubble.' But as he saw Kon'ichi's sad facial expression, he realized something. 'Maybe I did put it too harshly. But what I said was true.' He then noticed Kagome walking away. "What are you doing?" he asked out loud.

"Going back to sleep. Don't be surprised to find us when you wake up," Kagome said. Inu-Yasha went after her.

"Hey! You need me to fight off demons and other stuff! Get back here!" Inu-Yasha yelled as he tried to catch up with her. However, a "Sit!" and a THUD was heard a second after Inu-Yasha disappeared.

"Houshi-sama, do you think that Kon'ichi could be affected by what Inu-Yasha told him?" Sango asked Miroku. He looked at the kitsune hanyou who still had his ears and his eyes at the ground.

"I cannot believe that some words would not affect him," the Buddhist priest told the taijiya. "But whether he truly believe Inu-Yasha or not, I cannot say right now." Sango put her head down and lightly shook it.

"Are you okay now?" Shippo asked Kon'ichi. The kitsune hanyou put his head up.

"I am better now," he said. He stood up. "I am going back to my blanket." He walked off. Shippo sighed.

It was some time later now. Kon'ichi had wrapped himself around the brown blanket. He could still smell the scent of his mother on it. He laid himself against the tree. Thoughts and images of the past filled his mind.

"In this world we are hated because we're different." "Nobody is going to accept as you are now." "To have human blood is to always have a weak spot in your body." "One moment of weakness and you're done!" Kon'ichi recalled Inu-Yasha's words. He took his necklace and looked at the red stone.

"Mother said that she wanted me to be proud of my father's blood. Did Mother knew what she was doing?" he asked himself. He then recalled the times when the first night of the moon cycle came. His mother and him always were in the mountain during that time. She would put him against her breasts as he slept. She would then clean his long black hair and his now-human body. He knew that because when he woke up he could smell her scent all over his body. Now he could be all by himself when the new moon came in the next cycle.

'Where are you, Mother?' Kon'ichi thought. 'What did you do the day Father was killed? After you return from the village, you told me to stay in the mountain until you came back. But seven days passed. I decided to go to the village to find out what happened-' Tears went down the sides of his head as he remembered that awful morning.

**Start of Flashback**

"Look! The son of the demon bitch is here!" a man in a coned hat and priest garb yelled as Kon'ichi walked to the village.

"I see him! The demon bitch is going to pay!" another man shouted.

"Huh?" Kon'ichi said as he saw the fellow villagers.

"Let's kill him!" another man shouted. All of a sudden more people showed up.

"Kill that demon bastard!" a woman shrieked.

"Shin'ichi-san! Hiroshi-san! Isamu-san! Dai-san! What are you doing?" the kitsune hanyou asked. "Why do you want to hurt me?"

"Your mother killed your father seven days ago! And she also killed a few men as well, including Ran the high priest!" the man named Hiroshi told him. The woman named Dai stepped forward.

"And some more days before that, she mercilessly invaded the village and killed your father's wife and children and all those that tried to stop her!" she yelled. Kon'ichi's fists were clenched and his fangs showed from his mouth. He shook with fury.

"Mother would never do such a thing!" Kon'ichi shouted. "She loves humans! I am proof of that!"

"We saw her kill with our own eyes! There was no mistake!" the priest named Shin'ichi said. "Ran the high priest told us to stop her before he died and I will carry out the last wish of my master!" Kon'ichi saw the bloodthirsty glare of his eyes.

'They really do want to kill me!' the kitsune hanyou thought in alarm. 'But why are they going after me for?' Just then Kon'ichi saw a rock aiming at his head. He dodged it. However, a few more rocks were thrown after that. A rock hit him on his left shoulder and another one hit him at the side of his head. Blood came down on his red hair and brown kimono.

"Let's stone him!" another woman shouted. Kon'ichi bared his fangs and claws. He was about to attack but stopped.

'I can't hurt them! They are still my father's people!' he thought. He dodged the rocks hurled at him.

"Go after him and beat him!" another man shouted. Kon'ichi knew he had to flee. He ran, using his demon speed to get out of a hurl of stones.

"Tell your bitch of a mother that she is not welcome anymore, and neither are you!" Kon'ichi heard another man yell before he was out of hearing range. He rushed to the mountain spring, took off his kimono and dipped into the water naked.

The salty waters of the spring helped his body heal from the wounds. He looked at the deep cut on his shoulder. He could feel the tingling of his skin as the salts enter the wound. He then felt the left side of his head. He could feel the dried blood. He brought up water to the head wound. It tingled as well. Tears came down his face. He knew there was some wounds that water could not heal.

'How could Shin'ichi-san and the others accuse Mother of killing Father and his family? She didn't exactly love him like a mate but she would never think of killing him or anyone else from Father's village!' Kon'ichi thought. He looked up. "I am so sorry, Mother. I disobeyed you. You must have feared this would happen.' He then looked down. 'Still I cannot allow anyone to think you killed Father and his family. There must be someone I can reason with.'

**End of Flashback**

Kon'ichi sighed as he held the blanket tighter to his body. After all these weeks, all he got for his efforts were bruises, scraps and a very low self-esteem. As he closed his eyes and fell into sleep, one final thought came into his mind:

"Could Inu-Yasha be right?"

"Where did Miroku-sama go?" Kagome asked. She was boiling a kettle over a small stove. Inu-Yasha watched eagerly as she took out a cup of ramen noodles.

"I didn't see him when I woke up" Sango replied.

"I picked up his scent. He went that way," Shippo told them, pointing north.

"He must have went to Father's village," Kon'ichi said. Inu-Yasha's ears perked up and he looked away from the kettle.

"That bouzu? Why did he go there for?" the dog hanyou asked.

"Maybe he thinks that he can persuade the people that Nari-sama was not the true culprit?" Shippo suggested. Inu-Yasha snorted.

"Hah!" Inu-Yasha said. "I can't see how he can persuade any of those men! It's not like he was there to see it for himself!"

"Yeah, but…" Kagome started to say but stopped. What could she say on that?

"They may not exactly believe him but I don't think they'll hurt him," Kon'ichi said. "He is a priest after all." Inu-Yasha snorted again.

"How do you define 'priest'?" the dog hanyou asked him. Now Kagome had something to say.

"Inu-Yasha! Oh the kettle!" Kagome stopped when she realized the kettle was whistling. She tipped the kettle and poured the hot water into the opened cup. Inu-Yasha grinned eagerly and twitched his ears as he waited for her to hand it to him. Already drool was going down his chin.

And then…

"Here you go, Kon'ichi-kun!" Kagome said. The kitsune hanyou smiled as he graciously accepted the cup of noodles, much to Inu-Yasha's shock and dismay.

"Where is my ramen?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"You'll get yours after I get out the second cup," Kagome answered. She already was opening a second cup of noodles. Inu-Yasha already resumed the eager look he had before, minus the drool. This did not escape the notice of Kon'ichi.

"Is he always like this when she prepares noodles?" the kitsune hanyou asked Shippo.

"Oh yeah," the full-blooded kitsune answered. "He loves them. In fact, one time when she prepared a great supper, he said he only wanted noodles. She got pissed off of course." Kon'ichi looked back at Inu-Yasha.

"For someone that claims to want to become a demon, you're sure acting like a little human kid" Kon'ichi said. The dog hanyou turned to him with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Demons can eat noodles too," Inu-Yasha retorted.

"Whatever" Kon'ichi responded. He was about to eat a noodle with his chopsticks when he looked at his right. So did the rest of the demons.

The clangs of the shakujou caused everyone to turn their heads to the right. Shippo ran to the houshi.

"Miroku! Where have you been?" the kitsune asked as he jumped at him.

"Are you preparing noodles, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked, ignoring Shippo's question who was on his right shoulder now. He walked to the kettle. Inu-Yasha gave him a warning look (he was eating his cup of noodles now). Miroku then walked to Sango and Kirara.

"So tell me how is Kon'ichi this morning?" he asked Sango in a low voice.

"He is doing fine so far" Sango replied in a low voice. "Though he did find out Inu-Yasha's love for noodles almost the hard way."

"Hmm" was the only thing that Miroku said.

"So what should we do?" Kagome asked her friends.

"First of all, I like to know what the hell Miroku was doing at the village" Inu-Yasha said, looking straight at the houshi. "Don't tell me you really thought you could convince them that a kitsune did not attack their village!"

"I only wanted to find out what they actually saw," Miroku told him. "It is apparent that some demon did attack the village and killed some of the villagers. I have seen all the graves." Kon'ichi looked down with a sad expression on his face. "The surviving villagers told me that a red-haired fox spirit with a green kimono came into the village and destroyed the house of Hatoshi the farmer and killed his wife and children when he was not there. It happened in full daylight and a few people saw it." Kon'ichi put his head down.

"Did that description of the demon fit your mother, Kon'ichi-kun?" Kagome asked. He nodded but did not look up.

"What about the second attack, Houshi-sama?" Sango asked. Miroku sighed.

"According to some villagers-not everybody agree about the exact events-Nari appeared at the village again. Hatoshi was informed of her arrival. He met her at the entrance. Some claim that it was Nari that attacked first. Others say that it was Hatoshi that did it, wanting to avenge his dead family. You can imagine what happened next," the houshi said.

'Hatoshi really believed that Nari did kill his human family,' Kagome thought. 'He wanted to kill her and so Nari killed the father of her child in self-defense! Whoever set this up is utterly cruel. It has to be Naraku's doing!' Inu-Yasha was thinking along the same line of thought.

"Are you absolutely sure that your mother do not have any enemies?" the dog hanyou asked Kon'ichi, looking straight at him. The kitsune hanyou lifted up his head.

"I don't know. No bad demon came to us when Mother and I were together. Of course, I spent a lot of my time in the village after she weaned me," Kon'ichi explained. "However, Mother did say that a few demons are becoming more powerful. I don't think that any of them could threaten her but it could be possible."

"We have no proof of this but let's say it was Naraku that did this. He has easily fooled people in the past with his shape-changing abilities. Perhaps he took Nari's form to fool the villagers into thinking it was she that killed Hatoshi's family. Nari came to the village to clear her name. Hatoshi, believing that it was she that killed his family, tried to kill her. Nari had to kill him in self-defense. The other villagers, seeing this, tried to kill her. They too got killed" Miroku suggested. He then turned to Kon'ichi. "Do you think this could have happened?"

"I suppose" Kon'ichi said. "My mother is a very powerful demon that can control the earth elements in this land. If someone wants to hurt her, they could do a trick like that." This caused Kagome to think.

"Did you say that your mother could control the earth elements of this land? Does this mean she rules this part of the land?" Kagome asked.

"Oh no! This land is part of the Western domain, that is ruled by Sesshoumaru-sama!" Kon'ichi exclaimed. "My mother is a vassal to him. She takes care of this land for him and reports any dangerous demons through sprites to him. In return, he grants her freedom to do as she pleases as long as she does not disobey any direct order."

"Wow! You know Inu-Yasha's older brother-ack!" Shippo said before a white-haired hanyou's foot stomped on his head, pushing him right down to the ground.

"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome yelled. "Did you really need to do that? It's not like Kon'ichi-kun wouldn't realize on his own!" At that the kitsune hanyou looked up at him.

"Is Sesshoumaru-sama really your elder brother?" Kon'ichi asked him. Inu-Yasha folded his arms and looked away.

"Hmph" was the only thing he said.

"Anyway we should try to start searching for the demon that was responsible for the killing of so many people," Miroku said. He then pulled out a string of coins. "They paid me very well when they found out I could kill demons."

"We're doing this for the jewel shards, bouzu!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed.

"Where do you get those coins anyway?" Shippo asked.

"A lady gave them to me," Miroku replied. He smiled. At that almost everybody rolled their eyes. "I accepted them as part of a favour."

"Like what? Having the woman bear your child?" Sango asked with a menacing look in her eyes. Miroku started to sweat.

"Heh heh. Well she did seem a bit desperate-" he started to say. He then saw the deadly glare from her eyes. "We did nothing but she-she-"

"She what?" Sango asked, her voice deep enough to scare even Inu-Yasha from going close to her.

"Um, never mind," Miroku wisely said.

"Did you meet Tsukiko?" Kon'ichi asked.

"Yes I did" Miroku answered. "She is quite a girl. Nothing happened between us, of course. She is not old enough anyway." He hastily added the last part when he saw Sango's glare return.

"She would have been my future bride" Kon'ichi said. Everybody looked at him in surprise.

"You were supposed to marry her?" Sango asked.

"When we're old enough. I don't think that would happen now," Kon'ichi said. His red ears dropped. "Her father was killed when my mother returned to the village."

'Poor Kon'ichi-kun' Kagome thought. She then saw the kitsune hanyou go up to Miroku.

"I can tell that you have met the other girls as well," Kon'ichi said. "I can smell Yuriko, Umeko, Matsuko, Sakurako…"

BONK!

A few minutes later, while Miroku was recovering from a bump on the head courtesy of Sango's Hiraikotsu, the rest of the group sat down talking.

"If Naraku is responsible for this, he will probably know we're here," Sango said. "We should expect his demons coming this way."

"That would be no problem," Kon'ichi said. "Mother told me how to use my kitsune powers. Of course I am not as powerful as she is."

"All you need to do is rely on me," Inu-Yasha said. He brought his sword and transformed into a fang. "Tetsusaiga can kill a hundred demons at once. Until Naraku shows his fucking ass here, I think we will have no problem."

"You say it like he is really powerful" Kon'ichi said.

"He is very powerful" Sango told him. "He is made up of many demons but he used to be a human bandit called Onigumo. But he allowed the demons to consume his body and he became Naraku. He is a very powerful and dangerous demon, even more now that he has many Shikon jewel shards."

"He sounds like he could be a threat to Mother" Kon'ichi said.

"It was apparent that the first attack was made in daylight and in full view of a few people," Miroku said. He apparently had now fully recovered from his head injury. "Now if I wanted to murder someone and get away with it, I would not have it done in such a manner that would be witnessed."

"Even for a demon that sounds dumb" Inu-Yasha agreed. "The first attack was definitely not made by his mother, unless she was stupid."

"My mother is not stupid!" Kon'ichi yelled, showing his fangs and making his eyes go light red. He then went down as the dog hanyou gave his hard version of a noogie on him.

"Who is not stupid now?" Inu-Yasha asked. But as soon as he let go of the kitsune hanyou's head, Kon'ichi jumped at him and bit his right ear. "Ow! I didn't bite you! Ow! Stop it! Ow! STOP IT!" Inu-Yasha screamed the last two words. He then rolled over. Kon'ichi got off him only to run when Inu-Yasha came after him.

"Please children…" Miroku started to say.

"We might as well watch this" Sango said. "I have a feeling that this may take a while." Shippo nodded as they watched the two hanyous romp all over the ground until Inu-Yasha screamed again.

"That was fun," Kon'ichi said a few minutes later. Kagome had the first aid kit opened again. She was now treating the kitsune hanyou's new cuts and scratches. Inu-Yasha already had his dog ears bandaged. He was sitting down, apparently still in pain.

"You shouldn't have picked on Inu-Yasha," Kagome told Kon'ichi. "He didn't call your mother stupid. He just said that any demon that would attack a village and leave witnesses is stupid."

"I know" the kitsune hanyou said. "I just hate it when my mother is connected to any name-calling. I have heard so much the past couple of weeks from people that I became so sensitive to anything like that."

"I am sure that your mother is finding whoever framed her," Kagome said. "I hope she comes back before the new moon." She then thought of something. "When you become human, where do you go?"

"My mother takes me to the mountain," Kon'ichi told her, pointing to a distant mountain to the west. "She stays with me all night and then takes me back to the village when the sun comes up. When she went out to try to find the culprit, she told me to stay there. She probably thinks it's the safest place around here."

"She should have taken you with her" Inu-Yasha said.

"But he could have gotten in danger and slowed her down-" Shippo started to say.

"It would be better than coming back and finding his corpse" Inu-Yasha argued. "I know that he is not a baby but I cannot imagine he would be able to kill a powerful demon. His mother cannot be that smart to-ow!" Kon'ichi had jumped at Inu-Yasha again, fangs and all, and sunk his fangs on his scalp. A drop of blood went down the dog hanyou's head.

"Will Inu-Yasha ever learn?" Sango asked.

"Kon'ichi is very touchy" Miroku said. "All of this has made him very sensitive. It would be best if we do not talk about this any further."

"Kon'ichi-kun, stop it! Inu-Yasha, apologize at once!" Kagome ordered.

"Why should I? He's the one that bit me!" Inu-Yasha retorted.

All of a sudden a flock of green flying creatures came out of the forest. Kon'ichi, who was still biting on Inu-Yasha's head, stopped to look up. His eyes widened.

"They look like leaves with wings," Sango said.

"The leaf sprites! They must be going to Mother!" Kon'ichi exclaimed. "They must be telling where I am now! I must go back to the mountain or I'll be in great trouble!" And before anyone could stop him, he ran off Inu-Yasha and sped to the west, toward the mountain. Kagome turned to Shippo.

"Go after him and make sure he doesn't get into trouble!" she commanded him.

"I understand!" Shippo yelled. He ran after the kitsune hanyou.

"I should go too," Inu-Yasha said. "Who knows what kind of mischief they will get themselves into?" He then ran off. Kagome turned to Sango and Miroku.

"Sango-chan, Miroku-sama, help me pack up," Kagome said.

"If it's Naraku that is behind this, we all have to be there," Miroku said. They then put everything back inside Kagome's hiking bag. Kagome then hoisted it on her back.

"Kirara, transform!" Sango ordered. The small cat demon promptly changed into her larger true form. Kagome, Miroku and Sango then went on her back. "Kirara, follow Inu-Yasha's scent!" At once the cat demon complied.

"Hold on! She is going very fast!" Kagome yelled as she hanged onto Kirara's skin.

"Maybe we should fly-ahhhh!!!!" Sango started to say when grass shot forth from the ground, causing Kirara to come to a sudden halt. Some of the grass blades began to entangle them. Kirara roared.

"What is going on?" Sango asked in bewilderment.

"I believe that someone is trying to stop us," Miroku said. "And I believe that it is Nari who is responsible."

'Kon'ichi-kun did say that his mother could control the elements of the earth,' Kagome thought. 'But why would his mother do-'

"Houshi-sama!" Kagome heard Sango cry out. She turned her head to see Miroku being pulled off Kirara by the long blades of grass. He held onto his shakujou as he was thrown up into the air and down at the ground. He laid on the ground, seemingly unconscious. Fortunately for all those nearby, the prayer beads on his right arm did not come off.

"Miroku-sama! Are you okay?" Kagome asked. Both women tried to free themselves from the grass but the blades wrapped themselves around the girls, restricting their movements. Kirara roared again.

"Houshi-sama! Wake up! Help us!" Sango pleaded. She and Kagome then saw Miroku sat up. However, he did not look their way.

"Miroku-sama! Look back!" Kagome yelled. However, he looked at some trees at his left. He got up and started walking toward them. He had a serene look on his face, like he was seeing something pleasant.

"It's no use, Kagome-chan. He seemed to be under sort of spell," Sango told her. The other girl saw that she was right.

'Inu-Yasha, come back quickly. We need you' Kagome thought. She had no idea that Inu-Yasha was under a spell of his own.

In the meantime, a large pink bubble with big white eyes and little legs (are those legs?) floated between the trees. It was of course, Shippo.

'I didn't know that a young kid like him could run so fast' Shippo thought. 'He really think his Okaa would be mad at him if he's not at the mountain.' All of a sudden he saw Kon'ichi looking over a bush. The full-blooded kitsune went back to his usual form. He stood beside Kon'ichi.

"What are you looking at, Kon'ichi?" Shippo asked in a low voice.

"Mother is seeing someone" the kitsune hanyou replied. Shippo could barely look over the bush so he had to float up. To his horror, he realized who Nari was seeing and it was not good news.

"That's…Sesshoumaru!' Shippo thought in fear. No, this was not good at all.

End of Chapter Two

I hope that the violence so far has not been too bad. As a victim of violent bullying in the past, it has been hard to write the violent parts down but I felt it was necessary. I promise not to overdo it though. I hope my readers know a bit about Kon'ichi's past now. I plan in the next chapter to include more on Nari and her relationship with Sesshoumaru. And what about Miroku and Inu-Yasha? Chapter Three will be interesting, to say the least. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please do not forget to review!


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three of "Kon'ichi's Story" by Melinda-chan**

Note: This is rated PG-13. This will contain violence, bad language and other things that could be problematic. However, this fic will not go beyond an uncut Inu-Yasha episode or comic. Still for some readers, reader discretion is advised.

"That's Sesshoumaru?" Kon'ichi asked Shippo.

"Yes," Shippo nodded. "Why is your Okaa with him?"

"I heard him talk only for a bit," Kon'ichi answered. "But I think Mother wants him to join her."

"Oh?" Shippo said. Sesshoumaru opened his mouth.

"I do not know why you bothered to involve me in this" the dog demon spoke to the female kitsune. "I did not order you to get involved with these humans anyway. As for my half-breed brother, I appreciate your offer but I don't need your assistance." Nari made a few noises that sounded like a wild fox.

'She wants Sesshoumaru to help her find the one that framed her!' Shippo thought. He turned to Kon'ichi.

"Kon'ichi, what is the meaning of this? Is your Okaa really going to give Inu-Yasha to Sesshoumaru?" Shippo asked him in a very low voice.

"It seems that way" Kon'ichi replied.

'I got to warn Inu-Yasha before Sesshoumaru or Nari-sama finds him!' Shippo thought. Just then he saw the dog demon step forward in Nari's direction.

"In fact-" Sesshoumaru raised his right hand. The ends of his claws turned a bright green. "I think you have been deceiving me!" He then rushed at Nari, his claws ready to strike her…

'His poisonous claws!' Shippo thought in alarm.

"Mother!" Kon'ichi yelled. He then leaped from behind the bush and bared his own claws at Sesshoumaru. Just then the dog demon went back and slashed his claws at Kon'ichi. The kitsune hanyou let out a yelp of pain as he fell down on the ground, blood seeping out of the front part of his kimono.

'Uh-oh! Kon'ichi is in big trouble now!' Shippo thought. 'Sesshoumaru is going to kill him for that!' He then looked at Nari. 'Why is his Okaa just standing there? Shouldn't she be helping him'? He then looked at the ground next to her. 'There is no shadow! Wait! That means-'

"I see" Sesshoumaru spoke. He turned his head slightly at Nari. "If I knew you would be desperate enough to produce a hanyou, I would given myself to you a long time ago." Nari remained unmoved. "Now watch me get rid of this filthy disgrace!" At that he stretched out his right hand and prepared to attack the helpless kitsune hanyou again.

Shippo knew he had to do something.

"Kitsune-bi!" Shippo yelled as he released his famous attack. Unfortunately for him, the foxfire did not affect the dog demon at all. Shippo gulped and started to back away.

"You're the kitsune that accompanies my half-breed brother, are you not?" Sesshoumaru asked him. Shippo turned around and tried to run away but the dog demon used his speed to catch the full-blooded kitsune. Shippo struggled but Sesshoumaru had him in his grip.

"Let me go!" Shippo yelled out. Kon'ichi pulled out blades of grass from the ground. Nari remained unmoved.

"Take this!" Kon'ichi yelled at Sesshoumaru. The dog demon turned his head only to get a flurry of grass sprites at him. He then dropped Shippo, who was quickly grabbed by a blur of red and brown, which carried him into the forest.

'Hmph. It was just a kid's illusion' Sesshoumaru thought as he saw the sprites turned back to grass. 'Well, I will show him a thing or two about showing proper respect for his elders-' Just as he was about to go forward, he saw Nari block his path.

"Are you going to challenge me now?" Sesshoumaru said. "Very well. You too shall die!" With that, he attacked her using his claws. All of a sudden Nari changed into a big flurry of leaf sprites. They then flew toward the forest.

'She had fooled me again' the dog demon thought. 'She will pay for that.'

In the meantime, Kon'ichi was carrying Shippo on his back.

"That was not your Okaa," Shippo yelled. "That was just an-"

"Illusion, yes-" the kitsune hanyou finished the sentence. "I know that now. Her scent and shadow was not there. I knew right when Sesshoumaru-sama attacked me that-that-" Kon'ichi fell down on the ground, trembling. Shippo got off him.

"Kon'ichi! You're vomiting!" the full-blooded kitsune said in alarm. Sweat poured down Kon'ichi's face as well.

"I feel bad…" the kitsune hanyou said in a low voice. He then put his hands over his chest. He suddenly coughed up more blood.

'I almost forgot about Sesshoumaru's venom!' Shippo thought. 'He used a small illusion trick to rescue me from Inu-Yasha's older brother even when he was poisoned! I got to save him somehow!"

"I am going to take you to Kagome" Shippo said. "She has medicine that may help you though I don't think she has anything that can completely get rid of the poison."

"Mama…" Kon'ichi managed to say.

"I know you want your Okaa but I got to get you help," Shippo said. Kon'ichi coughed up even more blood. "Hold on Kon'ichi! I am going to carry you now and hopefully get you there quickly!" He then put him up on his back and ran.

'I wonder where his real Okaa is' Shippo thought as he ran. 'I just hope that Kon'ichi can make it in time. Inu-Yasha managed to recover when Sesshoumaru poisoned him but Kon'ichi is only a child.' He heard the kitsune hanyou coughing. 'I got to hurry! Oh Nari-sama, where are you?'

In the meantime, Inu-Yasha was still running. He stopped from time to time to go down on the ground and sniffed it.

"The smell is getting faint but I can still trace them" Inu-Yasha said to himself. "I hope they went straight ahead. It is going to be harder if they went to the left or right." He then stood up.

'Why on earth did she not take him with her?' the dog hanyou thought as he resumed running. 'Now we are involved in this. Of course if Naraku was responsible- what?'

Inu-Yasha stopped when several blades of grass sprouted in front of him. The dog hanyou was not deterred. He cracked his knuckles.

"It looks like something or someone is trying to block my way! Well too bad! Sankon Tetsusou!" Inu-Yasha shouted. The blades of grass dissolved when the power of the attack hit them. Inu-Yasha looked down at the bare spot on the ground. (Note: "Sankon Tetsusou" of course is the original name of Inu-Yasha's famous claw attack, otherwise known as "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer" in the English anime).

'That was a little too easy' Inu-Yasha thought. He looked to the left and right. 'I don't see or smell anything demon. Still I got to be cautious.' He took out Tetsusaiga and started to run.

"Kon'ichi! Shippo! Where the fuck are you?" Inu-Yasha yelled. "This is not funny!"

But he did not run very far before it happened.

"There is the demon!" Inu-Yasha heard a man yell. He looked like an average peasant, with a sickle in his right hand.

"Get Hatoshi-san! Tell him she came back!" a woman shouted, running toward the village.

"Who are you?" Inu-Yasha asked. "What is going on?" All of a sudden he stood still. His eyes then became glazed. He suddenly dropped the Tetsusaiga.

"Hatoshi-san! Your demon bitch is here!" the woman said, pointing at Inu-Yasha. A man dressed in a blue yukata and brown hakama and sandals appeared.

"Nari-sama, are you insane? Why did you attack my home and kill my family when I was out tending my field?" Hatoshi asked, pointing an accusing finger at Inu-Yasha. "Were you so angry with me that you had to kill all my loved ones?" His voice was cold and harsh.

Inu-Yasha made a sound that was inaudible to himself and most of the humans in the area. Hatoshi, however, was shocked.

"How dare you tell me that you do not know a thing about what happened!" Hatoshi said. "I was told by several people that you attacked my house and slaughtered my wife Wazuka and my six children! Seven people I have loved are now dead thanks to you!"

Inu-Yasha immediately growled, baring his fangs, but he did not open his eyes.

"Look at her now, Hatoshi-san" a man with a coned hat said. "How could you have been with this monster? Do you want me to get Ran the high priest to destroy this demon?"

"Not yet, Shun'ichi-san. I want to talk to her first," Hatoshi told him. He then looked back at Inu-Yasha. "You filthy wench! I fathered a half-breed son thanks to you and you dare destroy my real family? This village had to offer rice for both of you even in the winter and this is the thanks we get? If I knew this was going to happen, I would not have let the brat into this village!"

Inu-Yasha made once again a noise he could not understand. He then let out a small dose of power, which caused part of his hair to fly up. Still he did not open his eyes.

"Should we kill her now?" the priest asked Hatoshi in a very low voice. He took out a few o-fudas.

"Let me handle her" the farmer told him in a low voice. "She is a very powerful demon. I want to know all the facts before we can destroy her." He then turned back at Inu-Yasha.

"Nari-sama, if you did not kill my wife and human children, why at least you didn't protect this village from the demon that did it?" Hatoshi asked. "Or was it only when Kon'ichi was in the village that you protected us?"

Inu-Yasha replied in a guttural tone. The farmer was clearly mad now.

"You wench!" Hatoshi yelled in fury. He grabbed the sickle from the man at his right. "I shall kill you! And I'll go after the brat as well!" He started to run toward Inu-Yasha.

All of a sudden Inu-Yasha's eyes opened. They were blood red.

"Hatoshi-san! Stop!" the man that had his sickle stolen, yelled. But it was too late.

A few seconds later, the woman nearby screamed.

Hatoshi was on the ground in a pool of his own blood. A number of cut marks were over his body and clothes. His eyes were barely open. The sickle was lying next to his hand. His breathing was ragged.

As for Inu-Yasha, his claws were dripping red with blood. He looked down at the dying man. The tall blades of grass at his left and right were red with blood as well.

"She used the grass from the ground to attack him, and when he used the sickle to slice through them, she used her claws to finish him off!" the priest said.

"Nari, why…" Hatoshi said. He then closed his eyes and stiffened. The woman let out a cry.

"Obou-sama!" Shun'ichi said, looking at his master who was running to the scene. "The kitsune spirit Nari had just slaughtered Hatoshi-san!"

"I know, Shun'ichi" the head priest nodded. "That is why I brought these." He took out a bunch of o-fudas. "Leave her to me."

"Beware of her powers over the grass Obou-sama" the priest said. "She can use those blades like swords! She already harmed Hatoshi-san that way!"

"God or no god, you are not welcomed here anymore!" the head priest said to her. "Begone, demon!" He then threw the o-fudas at Inu-Yasha.

The dog hanyou put his right arm into the ground.

"What is the bitch going to do?" a man asked. He had a ponytail.

"I do not know Kazuki-san," the sickleless man said. "Ah watch out!"

The blades of grass went out so fast from Inu-Yasha's hand that the head priest could not dodge them in time before they went into his chest. He fell down bleeding.

"Obou-sama!" the priest put down his shakujou and rushed to his master. "I will pray to Buddha for your recovery now!"

"It's too late," Ran the high priest said through ragged breaths. "Kill her now. She is not a god but a monster! Kill her now…" At that he laid back his head and closed his eyes.

"Obou-sama!" the priest cried. He then lowered his head. Men and women appeared suddenly from behind, carrying sharp farming tools and weapons.

"She killed Ran the high priest!" Kazuki said. "And to think I was going to allow my daughter to marry her son!"

"Do not forget he's Hatoshi's son too!" another man said.

"It does not matter now!" the priest spoke as he opened his eyes. "She has become a monster worthy of destruction! Slay her now! She cannot be allowed to remain with us! Destroy her body and I'll send her spirit to the deepest reaches of hell!" He then picked up his staff and raised it.

"Get her! Kill her!" a man from the crowd yelled. At that, they charged toward Inu-Yasha. The dog hanyou cracked his knuckles.

The next thing that happened was too bloody to describe in full detail. Thankfully, for Inu-Yasha, his vision went red but he could hear the screams and smell the blood as his claws slashed flesh. It was then that his mind went totally blank.

A second later Inu-Yasha opened his eyes only to see that he was clawing dirt. He lifted up his hand to see that there was no sign of blood in his claws. He then saw Tetsusaiga on the ground. He grabbed the sword and felt relief as he felt himself return to normal. He then sniffed the ground.

'I don't smell anything now' Inu-Yasha thought. 'Was Kon'ichi's Ofukuro responsible for this? If not, who made that illusion?' He looked around but saw nothing suspicious.

"Who cares?" the dog hanyou said out loud. "I have to find Shippo and Kon'ichi! I will think about this later!" At that he rushed off.

"Houshi-sama! Houshi-sama!" Sango screamed.

"Miroku-sama! Miroku-sama!" Kagome yelled. She then caught her breath. "It's no use, Sango-chan. He can't hear us."

"We can't get out of here," Sango said. She struggled with her arms to get free but the grass blades tightened around all of them, causing Kirara to roar and Kagome to groan. "We just have to wait until the rest come back."

'I hope they do come soon' Kagome thought. 'I am not sure if Miroku-sama even knows he's under an illusion.' She and Sango were totally helpless and could only watch as Miroku disappeared into the forest.

As for the houshi himself, he could only hear the girl weeping. Using his staff to push some branches aside, he then saw the object of his search. It was a young woman sitting on a tree stump, her hands covering her face. Miroku walked right to her and looked down, trying to appear helpful.

"I am Miroku, a servant of Buddha. I do no creature any harm. May I help you?" he asked her. The girl looked up from her hands, tears coming down her face. She then smiled.

End of Chapter Three

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I also hope that it answers some questions regarding what happened in the last meeting between Nari and Kon'ichi's father. Hmm, I wonder what will happen between Miroku and the girl? How will Kon'ichi deal with Sesshoumaru's venom inside him? And who did set up Nari? You have to wait for the next few chapters to found out! Oh yeah, I'm still in the middle of Chapter Eight of "To Be Human: Prelude" so hopefully it'll be done in a month. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please do not forget to review!


	4. Chapter Four

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Chapter Four of "Kon'ichi's Story" by Melinda-chan

Note: This chapter contains violence, profanity and sensual themes. While there'll be nothing too graphic, for some readers reader discretion is advised.

Now that is over with, let this chapter begin!

"What is wrong? I will not hurt you" Miroku said. The girl then got up and ran. Her long white kimono flew up in the air as she did so. "Wait!"

Miroku ran after her, moving his arms as he did so. He saw that she was just ahead, still running. He did not seem to notice that her feet were not touching the ground. A few leaf sprites appeared, going beside the running houshi. He noticed them.

'These are Nari's leaf sprites!' Miroku thought. 'If that's the case then why-' The leaf sprites then zoomed ahead of him, going into the wide open blackness. Miroku continued to run. He saw the girl standing on a clear grassy plain. He saw the brown leaves on her kimono. He blinked- he did not notice them before.

'My eyes had either gone semi-blind or she changed her clothes!' Miroku thought. The girl walked to him. He then saw that she was barefoot too.

"What is going on?" Miroku asked in a low voice. "Why did you bring me here?" He sounded a little annoyed. He then saw the tears running down her face. He softened. "I'm sorry." He then grasped her right hand. "I want to help you. But maybe you can help me first. May you have my-" She then hugged him, catching him off guard. "I didn't ask what I wanted you to do yet."

Miroku then felt a warm feeling come over him. It felt so good; it was like satori- enlightenment. His eyes drooped down. The scene did not change yet the atmosphere makes it seem that way. The leaf sprites surrounded them now.

"What- what…" Miroku started to say. The smell of plums and cherry blossoms filled his nose. He looked at her again and saw that her face has softened, reflecting a submissive look. There was only one thing he wanted to do. He went closer to her face-

And then tried to swing his shakujou at her. She ducked in time.

"Demon, I do not know what you want with me, but I assure you that I have killed demons of all sorts, including females, so if you intend to do ill will toward me-" Miroku warned. She then did something that was out of the blue, so to speak.

She kissed him.

Miroku felt something warm go over him again.

"De-" Miroku started to say when she put a finger to his lips. He looked at her expectantly. She then rose up, the skirt portion of her kimono flapping against her bare legs.

He wanted her. He absolutely wanted her. If he was in a dream, he did not want to wake up. He could not help himself. He ran after her.

"Wait!" Miroku said. The girl seemed to be always two steps ahead of him in this strange chase. "Wait!"

By the time he caught up with her, she was sitting on the ground. Her hands were on her head. Miroku was getting tired of this.

"Madam, I do not wish to sound angry, but why are you crying again?" Miroku asked. "Can you give me an answer?" She then rose up and gestured to a nearby shrine. He then gasped.

It was Nari's shrine. He then realized something.

"I know this shrine" Miroku said. "My friends and I helped repair it." He then turned to her. "If you're crying over the shrine, then you must be Nari. Am I-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence before it happened.

As soon as he said her name, she changed from a girl to a red-haired fox spirit in a long green kimono. Flowers of all kinds covered her. The houshi looked at her, almost spell-bound. He then gathered his wits to ask her a question.

"I know that you must be upset over what happened with the villagers, but why did you leave your son alone?" Miroku asked. She looked at the shrine.

'Does she care about him at all?' Miroku thought. He then looked at the shrine with her.

"We tried to repair the shrine," Miroku said. "But I'm afraid that it is beyond even my power." He watched her as she placed a bowl of rice in front of the shrine. She then made a noise to him.

"You want me to do a service?" Miroku said. "A repurification?" He then realized something.

'She did not spoke a single word to me,' he thought. 'Yet I understood her. This must be an effect of her spell on me.'

"Very well, my lady" Miroku replied. "I shall do as you say." He then went to the shrine and sat down, preparing to pray. Nari stood above him, watching his every move.

'I smell blood and vomit,' Inu-Yasha thought. 'It's Kon'ichi!' At that he ran faster. 'I smell something else. It's-' his eyes then widened as he recognized the source of another smell. 'No!' He then ran even faster.

"You fucking bastard!" Inu-Yasha yelled. "What did you do to-"

"Inu-Yasha!" Shippo yelled. He ran toward the white-haired hanyou and jumped on him. "Kon'ichi is in trouble!"

"I can tell you that!" Inu-Yasha said, plucking the kitsune off his red kimono. "Is he here too?"

"You mean Kon'ichi?" Shippo asked him. Inu-Yasha decided not to reply.

"Where is Kon'ichi now?" Inu-Yasha asked. He then heard coughing. "Never mind." He went to a cherry tree where he saw Kon'ichi.

The kitsune looked absolutely horrible.

There was blood and vomit all over his kimono. The smell was a little strong, but Inu-Yasha knew he could not help it.

"Did Sesshoumaru caused this?" Inu-Yasha growled.

"Yeah" Shippo replied. "We saw him talking to Nari-sama, at least we thought it was Nari-sama. Sesshoumaru then tried to attack her so Kon'ichi tried to stop him and that's when Kon'ichi was attacked by him."

"You said that you thought it was Kon'ichi's Ofukuro" Inu-Yasha said. "It was not her, then?"

"Oh, Kon'ichi recognized her," Shippo said. "But it was just an illusion, a kitsune's trick."

'She wasn't really there?' the dog hanyou thought. 'But I didn't smell her scent after I had my own illusion. Where is she then?'

"Kon'ichi is very sick" Shippo told him. Just then the kitsune hanyou threw up. Inu-Yasha tried not to wrinkle his nose.

"He'll be okay," Inu-Yasha said. "He just needs a few days of rest." He then picked him up and put him inside his kimono.

"Mama…" Kon'ichi started to say.

"We should try to find Kagome, Miroku and Sango," Shippo said. "At least one of them should help him."

"Fine" Inu-Yasha said. "Let's go now." Shippo went on his shoulder, allowing the dog hanyou now.

'Damn you, Sesshoumaru. I'll get you for Kon'ichi's sake' Inu-Yasha thought as he now carried the two kitsunes on him. However, a disquieting thought came into his head.

What was his older brother doing with Kon'ichi's Ofukuro?

"How long are we suppose to be like this?" Sango asked. She, Kagome and Kirara had been struggling for a while.

"I don't know, but I hope that Inu-Yasha will come soon" Kagome said. "Miroku-sama might need our help."

"What do you think happened to him?" Sango asked.

"I don't really know" Kagome said, feeling worried. "We got to get out of here." She struggled against the blades, but one of the blades striked her right wrist. "Ow!" A drip of blood came down.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango said.

"I don't know what else to do" Kagome said. She tried to wipe her wrist. "It seems that we're really stuck here."

"If only I can get my poisons-" Sango started to say.

"Sankon Tetsutou!" Inu-Yasha yelled as he used his claws to cut the blades, freeing the three (including Kirara) from the grass. Sango held on to Kirara, but Kagome fell down on the ground.

"Kyahhhh!" Kagome yelled. "Inu-Yasha, be careful next time!"

"You can get up," Inu-Yasha said rather rudely. Kagome wiped the dirt off her skirt and stood up.

"I could have been hurt you know!" Kagome yelled. She then saw that Inu-Yasha was holding onto the front part of his kimono. "Are you hurt?"

"No, but Kon'ichi is" Inu-Yasha replied. Just then Kagome saw Kon'ichi struggling inside his clothes. Inu-Yasha helped him out his head out. Kagome was shocked.

"Kon'ichi-kun! You look awful!" Kagome said.

"He got poisoned by Sesshoumaru," Inu-Yasha told her, adding as much vile as he could on his older brother's name.

"S-Sesshoumaru is here? Oh no!" Kagome said. "We got to get Kon'ichi out of here! But I don't know where to put him!"

"He should be at the mountain where his Ofukuro told him to stay," Inu-Yasha said.

"Mama…" Kon'ichi spoke.

"Your Mama is not here, Kon'ichi-kun" Kagome said.

"Mama is here!" the kitsune hanyou said. This caused everyone to look at him.

"Where?" Kagome asked, looking around.

"I smell a demon," Inu-Yasha said, baring his fangs. "It's near."

"Where is it?" Sango asked, raising Hiraikotsu.

"Over there," Inu-Yasha replied, pointing at the far right.

"Houshi-sama is over there as well" Sango said, worried.

"Let's go then" Inu-Yasha said. "Knowing the bouzu, he's probably gone after a girl." Sango tried her best not to look angry. The dog hanyou then pulled Kon'ichi out of his kimono and gave him to Kagome.

"Mama…" Kon'ichi said. He clutched onto Kagome's front uniform knot.

"Here Kagome" Inu-Yasha said. "It's your duty now to keep him safe." At that he went off.

"Come on Kirara!" Sango said. The great cat demon lowered its head, allowing the taijiya to go on her. "Follow Inu-Yasha, Kirara!" They then went after him.

"Wait for me!" Shippo said. He ran after them.

'I hope they'll be able to find the demon' Kagome thought. She then looked at Kon'ichi and then rubbed his ears. 'I wonder where his Mama is.' She then realized something. 'Could the demon be Kon'ichi-kun's Mama? I got to go and find her!' At that she grabbed her stuff, wrapped Kon'ichi in a towel and ran in the path of the others toward the woods.

"Miroku!" Shippo yelled out.

"Houshi-sama!" Sango yelled.

"Hey bouzu!" Inu-Yasha shouted. "How far did he go?" Shippo sniffed the air.

"I smell him!" Shippo told them. "And I think I smell a-a kitsune!"

"Another kitsune?" Sango said. "Do you think it could be Kon'ichi's mother?"

"I don't know" Shippo replied. "I never smelled her before." Inu-Yasha was busy thinking.

"Let's go" the dog hanyou said. "I don't know what is going on with her but there are a few questions I like to ask her."

"We got to rescue Houshi-sama too" Sango reminded him.

"Yeah that too" Inu-Yasha said.

"Come on Kirara!" Sango called to her demon servant. Kirara immediately allowed her on her back again and they took off. Shippo went on Inu-Yasha's left shoulder and they took off too.

"Do you think it could be Kon'ichi's Okaa?" the kitsune asked Inu-Yasha.

"I don't know" the dog hanyou said. 'I just hope Kagome stays put' he thought.

It was only a couple of minutes later and after slashing some branches that Inu-Yasha and the others found themselves on a grassy plain. The dog hanyou immediately went down and sniffed the ground.

"We are close by where the shrine was," Inu-Yasha said.

"You mean Nari's shrine?" Sango asked him.

"Yeah" Inu-Yasha replied. "I can't smell her though."

"We just have to keep on searching" Sango said. They then went on walking. It was a few minutes later when Inu-Yasha's ears perked up.

"What is it, Inu-Yasha?" Shippo asked.

"I smell cherry blossoms" the dog hanyou said. "But it's not that season yet. And I smell plum blossoms too!"

"That does not make sense," Sango said. "They don't bloom at the same time!"

"It's probably Nari-sama!" Shippo said. "I heard that she can smell like flowers!"

"I'm going after those scents" Inu-Yasha said. "She might be able to answer the questions I have."

A few minutes later, the dog hanyou stopped walking. He sniffed the ground again.

"I'm starting to smell another scent," Inu-Yasha said. "It's a demon!"

"I smell it too," Shippo said. "It's a kitsune!"

Good. Then we're on her track" Inu-Yasha said. He then went off.

"Wait for us!" Shippo yelled. He, Sango and Kirara ran after him.

The dog hanyou ran ahead, putting his head low to lower air resistance.

'I can smell the bouzu's scent too' Inu-Yasha thought. 'I know they're together now.' It was then when he stopped.

In front of him he could see a mist. The mist was a purple-reddish colour, and the sensitive nose of the dog hanyou was almost overcome by all sorts of fragrances.

"Ugh…" Inu-Yasha said. A very sensitive human would be having a reaction by now. The dog hanyou pulled up its left red sleeve to his nose and mouth. Still Inu-Yasha knew he had to resume breathing again.

WHOOSH! The mist cleared, but the smell remained. Inu-Yasha shook his head.

"Sango! Shippo!" the dog hanyou yelled. "I need help!"

Immediately the smell vanished. Inu-Yasha could smell a fresh scent of cherry blossoms, plum blossoms, fresh grass and persimmons. Inu-Yasha quickly ran ahead to the source of the smell.

He stopped when he noticed the shrine.

Miroku was kneeling on the ground in a praying position in front of the shrine. His eyes were barely closed. There was a bowl of steamed rice at his knees. His hands were clasped together. He was in a daze.

But Inu-Yasha wasn't looking at him for long. He was looking at the girl next to him. She had long black hair with a flowing green kimono. It had all sorts of flowers and plants on it.

"You bitch! What did you do to him?" Inu-Yasha yelled.

The girl now looked at him. The dog hanyou now knew who she is.

"Take him out of the spell now while you still have a chance!" Inu-Yasha ordered the "girl."

Immediately the girl snarled and growled. Inu-Yasha got ready the Tetsusaiga. He hated to use it against Kon'ichi's mother, but if she decided to attack him…

Instead, the "girl" sent out a bunch of fragrances.

'Shit…' Inu-Yasha thought as he struggled not to swoon. The kitsune did not have much in weaponry, but the one she did have was enough to cause the dog hanyou dizziness and nausea.

'Must breathe…' Inu-Yasha's mind tried to tell him. He plomped his sword right into the ground to prevent himself from falling.

The "girl" now walked toward him. His half-blurred eyes could see her smirking. He could smell a scent of fresh grass.

'Shit…' he thought just as he was about to black out.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango's voice and the sound of her boomerang-like weapon caused Inu-Yasha to open his eyes. The smell was disappearing- the female kitsune was too busy trying to keep an eye on the spinning object.

"It's Nari-sama!" Shippo shouted. At once the grown kitsune turned her head to look at him.

"Make her talk, Shippo! We need to know the whole truth!" Sango ordered him.

"Nari-sama, what are you doing? What did you do to Miroku?" Shippo asked.

"I like to ask you a few questions myself, Nari!" Inu-Yasha said. "I-huh?"

Almost at once the girl changed to her kitsune form. She was a tall kitsune with long, flowing red hair and bright green eyes. Her green kimono was more wider and billowing than when she was in her human form. The grass moved away from her as she was in her human form. The grass moved away from her as she stood there. A smell of cherry blossoms and lilies became evident. It was just amazing to see this unfold- even Inu-Yasha looked spellbound.

The dog hanyou, however, was the first to snap out of the trance.

"I don't know what you want with Miroku, but what's going on?" Inu-Yasha yelled out. "You pulled an illusion on me, but why did you do that to me? If you want to garner my sympathy for your problem, it isn't working!"

"Inu-Yasha! Be careful when addressing Nari-sama like that!" Shippo warned. At that, the female kitsune looked coldly at him. The young kitsune felt himself go stiff.

For a few seconds, Nari stared at Inu-Yasha and then at Shippo. The dog hanyou shot back a menacing look while the small kitsune tried not to look scared.

All of a sudden the grass moved toward the northwest. Inu-Yasha and the others looked at the direction where the grass was pointing at. In clear view was Kagome, holding Kon'ichi in her arms.

"KAGOME! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Inu-Yasha shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Inu-Yasha, is that Nari?" Kagome asked him.

"YES! NOW GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" the dog hanyou screamed at her.

"What's happening to Nari-sama?" Shippo asked. Everyone then looked at the female kitsune.

Nari appeared to be absolutely frightened. Her eyes shook with a great tremour, as if the ground was shaking beneath her. The kitsune started to back away.

"Sango! Take Miroku out of here!" Inu-Yasha said. The taijiya complied, running to Miroku. The houshi was still dazed but Sango managed with Kirara's help to get him on the cat demon and fly away. Nari was not even aware of this as her entire focus was on Kagome and Kon'ichi.

"Mama…" the sick kitsune hanyou uttered. He put his small left hand out to her. But Nari reacted like he was going to poison her.

The red-haired kitsune turned around and ran away.

"Nari!" Kagome yelled out. All of a sudden grass shot up from the ground, blocking Kagome's path.

"KAGOME!" Inu-Yasha yelled. He ran at Kagome, whom he picked up and placed on his back.

"But Nari-" Kagome started to say.

"She doesn't want him," Inu-Yasha said.

"WHAT!" Kagome yelled out.

"Nari-sama!" Shippo shouted. He started to run toward the tall grass blades.

"Shippo, get back here!" the dog hanyou screamed at the little kitsune but Shippo was already gone.

"Mama…" Kon'ichi said. He tried to lift his head but he went back onto Kagome's chest.

"The poor guy" Kagome said, patting him on the head. "His mother ran away like she was scared of him or something."

"She wasn't scared. She just abandoned him," Inu-Yasha said in a negative tone.

"But how could she…" Kagome started to say when she stopped. She looked at Kon'ichi who was trembling in her arms. "So what do we do now?"

"We find Miroku and Sango," Inu-Yasha said. "Shippo went after that bitch but he'll come back. At least I hope so."

Kagome petted Kon'ichi on the head again. There was nothing else that she could do. She then sighed.

End of Chapter Four

I just had surgery on May 11 so I had to fully recover before I managed to upload this. I hope this keeps you occupied until the next update. I do hope you enjoy this chapter. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please do not forget to review!


	5. Chapter Five

****

Chapter Five of "Kon'ichi's Story" by Melinda-chan

Note: This chapter may contain violence, profanity and a few sexual references. There'll be nothing too graphic, but for some readers, reader discretion is advised.

Now that is over with, let this chapter begin!

Kagome dabbed Kon'ichi with a cotton ball.

The kitsune hanyou was struggling for his life. He was nauseated beyond compare, and whenever he felt like throwing up, he would cough so badly that Inu-Yasha had to get him up so he could puke without choking himself. He shook like his whole body was in an earthquake. His eyes were going between blurry vision to clear vision and back again. Kagome finally put a blanket over him.

"He'll just have to get rid of the poison," Inu-Yasha said. "At least he's sweating and throwing up now."

"I'm just worried about his fluid intake," Kagome said. "The way it's pouring out of his body, I'm afraid that he may not have enough to help him through."

"If you want, I can go to the nearest river and fill it with one of those water bottles you carry," Inu-Yasha said.

"Okay," Kagome said. She went to her backpack trying to find one that she could use. In the meantime, the dog hanyou put his right hand onto Kon'ichi's sweaty forehead.

'Kagome's right,' Inu-Yasha thought. 'He's losing so much that he's becoming dehydrated.' He then looked at his hand, which was now covered with warm sweat. 'Damn you, Sesshoumaru. What did you do that for? He was only trying to defend his Ofukuro, even though she wasn't really there.' He looked down at Kon'ichi, whose eyes were half closed.

"Mama…" Kon'ichi said. The dog hanyou looked disgusted. Kon'ichi should have realized that his Ofukuro had abandoned him and he still wants her? Inu-Yasha couldn't understand it.

"I guess I could use my thermos" Kagome said. She brought out a large red thermos. "It doesn't have much, and Kon'ichi needs a lot of water anyway."

"Give it to me then" Inu-Yasha said. "He probably needs a whole barrel by now." Just as Kagome was about to hand him the thermos, they heard a screech and a slap from nearby.

"Let me guess, Miroku-sama has awoken," Kagome said. Inu-Yasha just put his hands on his head and shook it in disgust.

"Sango-chan, how is Miroku-sama?" Kagome asked her. She had just walked to where Sango and Miroku were. The houshi was obviously awake, having a red hand mark on the right side of his face.

"He's apparently fine," Sango said with a deep growl.

"Too bad we can't do anything about that hand of his," Inu-Yasha said. "It's cursed in more than one way."

"I don't actually mind going back to sleep now," Miroku said. "Could you whack me again?"

"No," Sango replied. "What happened, Houshi-sama? Tell me now!" She sounded exasperated.

"I saw her in the forest" Miroku recalled. "She was weeping. I wanted to know what was wrong, but she fled. I tried to run after her. She took me to the shrine."

"Did you know it was Nari?" Sango asked.

"I saw her leaf sprites" Miroku replied. "But I still wasn't sure if the girl was her or not. So I treated her like a normal demon. But it was only until I said her name that she finally revealed herself."

"Some demons will reveal themselves only if you can say their name" Inu-Yasha said. "It's like breaking a seal."

"Then what?" Sango said to Miroku.

"I must have been under a spell because I cannot recall what I did next. But it was a wonderful feeling" Miroku said. He then smiled again. "I cannot describe what I felt. 'Nirvana' is the word I can best describe it as."

"Or it was an illusion that she put on for you so you wouldn't try to kill her," Inu-Yasha said.

"Still what did she do that for?" Sango asked Miroku.

"I think she wants me to repurify her shrine" Miroku replied.

"Repurify her shrine?" Sango said.

"And she wants me to worship her," Miroku added.

"Urk!" Sango said in shock.

"I suppose if she was used to being worshipped" Kagome said. "She might have wanted Miroku-sama to-oh!" She looked down at Kon'ichi, who was coughing up blood now. "Kon'ichi-kun!"

"I'll get the water," Inu-Yasha said. Kagome gave him the thermos. He then ran off with it.

"Mama…" Kon'cihi said. Kagome patted his head.

"Don't worry," Kagome said. "I'm sure that she'll be alright. Inu-Yasha is going to give you some water so hopefully you'll feel better."

"I'm still confused. What happened when I was out?" Miroku asked. "And where is Shippo?"

"Shippo went to follow Nari," Kagome replied. "I don't know why. She seemed determined that Kon'ichi-kun will stay with us."

"I wonder what would happen if she did said yes to my request" Miroku wondered out loud. All the girls went back.

"Don't tell me you asked her to bear your child!" Sango said.

"I didn't know she was a demon at that time" Miroku tried to explain. It was apparent from the girls' facial expressions that they didn't quite believe him.

"You are sick! You are worse than sick!" Sango spat out.

'What did I do?' Miroku thought. After a while, Kagome put Kon'ichi on the ground and took off part of his kimono, wiping him with a cloth. Sango went to wiping her Hiraikotsu. Miroku looked up at the sky.

'Still the way I felt when I was under her spell. I wonder whether she would accept…' At that he let his thoughts drift off.

In the meantime, Inu-Yasha rose up from the river bank. He wiped his brow.

'Once I get back to Kagome and give her the bottle,' he thought. 'I can go out and search for Sesshoumaru and find out why he's here even if it means breaking every bone in his body.' All of a sudden, Inu-Yasha's ears perked up. He turned around and bared his fangs.

"Where are you?" Inu-Yasha yelled out. Silence followed. He let out a low growl. "Show yourself, coward!"

****

"Kukukuku…ah Inu-Yasha, the dog hanyou with the big sword…kukukuku…." The voice spoke.

"WHO IS THERE?" Inu-Yasha yelled even louder. He sniffed the air. "YOU'RE NOT NARAKU OR ONE OF HIS CREATIONS!"

****

"'Dog punk,' eh?" the voice spoke again. **"You cannot even destroy Naraku! A demon that has to absorb other demons or jewels in order to be powerful can never be as powerful as my mistress!"**

"WHO ARE YOU?" Inu-Yasha demanded. "If you're not Naraku or an incarnation of Naraku, then what the fuck are you doing here?"

****

"I am a servant of the Dark Lady, the Jewel Maiden herself. She's far more powerful than even Naraku. In fact if you were not a hanyou, I would have invited you to join me and my mistress," the voice said.

"SHOW YOURSELF!" Inu-Yasha demanded.

****

"Kukukuku…an impatient pup, are you not?" the voice replied. **"Do not worry, half-breed. You shall see me, soon enough. In fact you will see all your enemies very soon. Bye for now!"**

"HEY I THOUGHT YOU SAID-" Inu-Yasha started to shout when he stopped. He felt a presence disappear- a presence he had not felt before.

'I'm not dealing with a normal demon here,' the dog hanyou thought. 'I got to go back to the group. No telling what may happen to them if I stay here any longer.' He then ran back to the group.

"You're telling us that he's a servant of the Dark Lady, the Jewel Maiden? And she's even more powerful than Naraku?" Kagome said. She was now making Kon'ichi drink from the thermos.

"Yeah. I didn't have enough time to ask about her before he went off," Inu-Yasha said. "But he said that all of my enemies are here too. That means not only Sesshoumaru but Naraku is here too."

"Kagome-chan, do you sense any Shikon shards?" Sango asked.

"Not really," Kagome replied. "But he might not be in the area yet."

"The Jewel Maiden," Sango said. "What sort of demon would possess such a name?"

"A beautiful but dangerous demon," Miroku replied. Everyone looked at him. His eyes looked almost dazed.

"Tamamo-no-mae," Miroku said. "She lived four hundred years ago as a lady of the court of Emperor Toba. But she was really a kitsune with the intent of taking his soul. But one day a Buddhist priest revealed her true self through a mirror. She was forced to flee and then possessed a rock in Nasumo. Years later, the grandson of the Buddhist priest that exposed her found her spirit in the rock but grant her mercy and she went to heaven." Inu-Yasha snorted.

"If she went to heaven, why is she here?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Don't ask me," Miroku said. "That's the story I've heard. But I know the real truth now."

"Oh?" Sango said. "You mean Nari told you about it?"

"She must have given me special knowledge somehow" Miroku replied. He looked down. "My head is suddenly filled with knowledge about the story."

"Nari told you about this kitsune?" Kagome asked.

"I did get a feeling that she gave me some sort of new power," Miroku said. "As soon as I heard about the Jewel Maiden, something like a ball rang inside my head. It is as if something that was hidden inside me had just opened up."

"And what is this thing that just opened up?" Inu-Yasha asked him.

"Tamamo-no-mae was regarded as an evil seductress," Miroku said. "It never made sense to me that she would turn a new leaf after just being confined into a rock."

"Do you know what really happened to her then?" Sango asked.

"She went to the other world but was expelled from that world because of her cruelty," Miroku said. "So she came back to this world with her henchmen. Nobody knows where she is now."

"Until now" Inu-Yasha said. "That voice clearly said that he serves the Jewel Maiden."

"So she is here," Miroku said.

"I don't know" Inu-Yasha said. "But I do know that he said all of our enemies will be here shortly."

"So Tamamo-no-mae and that voice may be working with Naraku?" Kagome asked him.

"I don't know, but the idea that there's a more powerful demon than Naraku is really pissing me off," Inu-Yasha said.

"I suppose you don't know her full powers?" Kagome asked.

"How am I suppose to know that?" the dog hanyou said, his ears widened in annoyance.

"If she's a kitsune, then she would have the same powers as Nari and Shippo, but in a dark and evil way" Miroku said. "We would have to use extreme caution when dealing with her. She could assume one of our forms."

It was then that everyone but Kon'ichi looked at each other.

"Could she be the one that assumed Nari's form and killed Hatoshi's family?" everyone said at once.

"If that's true, then she may have wanted to-" Miroku started to say.

"-Frame Nari so that the humans would go against her?" Sango finished.

"What a wicked thing to do!" Kagome said. "I don't know about her very much, but how do we go against such an evil kit- Kon'ichi-kun!" All of a sudden everyone looked at the kitsune hanyou, who got up and tried to walk. "Kon'ichi-kun!" Kagome ran to him.

"Mama…" Kon'ichi started to say. He then fell down.

"Kon'ichi-kun!" Kagome said. "I know you're worried about your Mama, but you can't-" She picked him up and tried to take him back, but when she did, he bit her.

"It doesn't hurt, no, really," Kagome said while tears came into her eyes. Everyone watched as Kon'ichi bit into her right index finger, drawing out blood. Some of his saliva came out as well. It glowed a mysterious greenish-yellow. This alarmed Inu-Yasha.

"KAGOME!" the dog hanyou yelled. He then ran to her. After he pulled her away from Kon'ichi and then shook the kitsune hanyou. "IDIOT! WHY DID YOU DO THAT WHEN YOU KNOW YOU'RE STILL POISONED?"

"Inu-Yasha! You're shaking him!" Miroku yelled. Sango turned to Kagome.

"Kagome-chan, are you all right?" Sango asked her.

"I think my finger just went numb!" Kagome said.

"I hope my antidote can work" Sango said, going through her bag.

"I feel my hand is going numb!" Kagome said in alarm.

"Take this!" Sango said as she gave her a pill. Kagome quickly swallowed it. She then saw Inu-Yasha still shaking Kon'ichi.

"SIT!" Kagome shouted. All of a sudden Inu-Yasha fell face first onto the ground. Kon'ichi sniffed him, like the last time. "HOW DARE YOU SHAKE A KID LIKE THAT! HE'S ALREADY SICK AS IT IS!"

"What the hell-" the dog hanyou started to say. "Why did you do that for?"

"Because you were shaking him!" Kagome replied as Sango wrapped her finger. "He's only a little child! SIT!" At that, Inu-Yasha went back onto the ground.

"Inu-Yasha needs to acquire better parenting skills" Miroku said. Sango nodded.

'Poor Kon'ichi-kun…' Kagome thought. She then took the towel and wrapped it around him.

"Don't worry about your Mama," Kagome said. "Shippo went after her. He'll try to talk to her. Maybe she doesn't feel she can protect you right now."

"Really?" Kon'ichi said.

"Sure" Kagome said. She then placed him on her chest. She could feel him trembling.

'At least I hope so,' Kagome thought. She didn't really know the real reason why Shippo went after Nari, but she was very sure it was for a good reason. She sighed as she started stroking him.

In the meantime, Inu-Yasha was shaking himself off the ground, Sango was wiping Hiraikotsu, Kirara was watching her and Miroku was resting against a tree, holding his shakujou.

As for Miroku, he was in a semi-dazed state. He felt so calm like he was in heaven. He wondered to himself whether his new powers was the result of direct contact with Nari or if she intentionally gave him this for a purpose. He laid his head against the tree. He just has to wait and see what lies ahead of him regarding this.

As for Shippo, he was still trying to follow Nari.

"Nari-sama! Nari-sama!" Shippo yelled. He felt like he was going through a fog. "Nari-sama, I just want to talk to you! Why did you run away? Is there a problem? I'll not say anything if you don't want me to! You can trust me!" A few minutes later, he added, "I'm a kitsune! I'll keep my word!"

At once, the fog disappeared. Shippo saw her standing there. Her eyes looked hurt.

"Just tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it!" Shippo said. She then walked to him and looked at him in a sorrowful manner. Shippo felt great pity for her.

Nari then went down and hugged him.

All of a sudden, the young kitsune felt a serene feeling come over him. At the same time, he acquired a pool of knowledge from her. He now understood everything surrounding this case.

"I'll do it" Shippo said with a lump in his throat.

Nari smiled.

End of Chapter Five

Thank you so much for being patient. I needed reading glasses (which I now have) and the summer heat didn't help me either (though it's a lot cooler here than in some places). I hope to get into the middle of things very soon. Now that Shippo's on Nari's side, what will he do for her? What is Sesshoumaru up to? What about the new antagonists? How is Naraku involved in this? What is Nari's purpose for Miroku? And will Kon'ichi recover soon? You have to wait until Chapter Six to find out! If you want to read about the original Nari and Kon'ichi, check out my story "Fox Child" in Fictionpress. You can get the link on my profile. I only have three chapters so far, but I got a few good reviews as of yet. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please do not forget to review!


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six of "Kon'ichi's Story" by Melinda-chan**

"Where should we go now?" Kagome said.

Kagome and the rest of the team were walking toward the east. Kagome had Kon'ichi in her arms. The kitsune hanyou were trembling a little. Sango and Miroku were behind them. As usual, Inu-Yasha was at the front of the group.

"We're going to the mountain, that's what!" Inu-Yasha said. "He was supposed to stay there, and that's where he is going now!"

"But he's so sick now!" Kagome said. "We can't just leave him by himself!"

"I didn't say we abandoned him there!" the dog hanyou said. "But we need to put him somewhere safe, and his Ofukuro probably has a place that could provide him with shelter at least."

Kagome sighed. They knew that they had a new enemy to deal with, but Kon'ichi's health was first priority now. Kon'ichi told them that his mother took him to a nearby mountain for him to stay there. It seemed that Inu-Yasha was determined to take him back there while they try to find the new enemy.

'But who will protect him?' Kagome thought. She could not believe that Nari will let her young son be left unprotected. She then saw a bunch of leaf sprites in the air and realized that Kon'ichi will be safe, at least for now.

In the meantime, a black form looked on from above. It then flew high in the sky toward the west.

The black form flew to an area of utmost barrenness. Dead birds cluttered the ground. On a dried-up stump sat a long black-haired woman moving back and forth a large white fan. She looked at the black form as it came down on the ground in front of her.

"Shirori, give me your report," the woman ordered. Standing in front of her was now a young-looking man dressed in a houshi robe with a long, black staff in his hands.

"Inu-Yasha and his company are heading toward Mount Urawa, my lady," he told her.

"Is that eastward?" his lady asked him.

"Yes it is" Shirori replied. "I saw Nari's leaf sprites too, so it's possible she knows where they are."

"Where is Nari then?" she asked.

"My lady, I do not know that," Shirori replied. "But I do know that she was with Sesshoumaru."

"Sesshoumaru? Can you tell me more about him?" the woman asked.

"He's a daiyoukai, a great demon," Shirori replied. "His father was the Inu-Taisho, the Dog General, who once ruled the western lands. His own power is said to be very tremendous."

"Can we defeat him?" the woman asked.

"My lady, I-I do not know that. He had two swords at his right side," Shirori answered. "But I have noticed that his left arm is not present, so he must be vulnerable to some degree."

"It doesn't matter," the woman said. "It's a good thing that Naraku freed me from that stupid rock. Now I have what I need for my plan."

The other fox spirit then looked at their other companion. "And what about him?" he said.

"I don't know why Naraku would want to have a human boy like this around," the woman said. She then looked at the human companion. He stood there, kneeling. "But now that I have him, I can do what I want with him."

"Shall I go to Sesshoumaru then?" Shirori asked her.

"Why not? Just don't cause him too much trouble," the woman said. At that, the other fox spirit changed back into a black form and flew away. The woman then turned toward her human companion.

"Come to me now," she commanded him.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! His kusarikama went against his right leg as he came to her.

"What do you want, my lady?" he said in a low voice.

"There is a mountain east of here. Its name is Urawa. I want you to go there and keep an eye on it, will you?" she asked the boy. "Don't do anything though. I'll give you the command at the proper time."

"Yes my lady" he replied. At once, he left for the east. The woman returned to doting herself with her fan.

'Naraku must think I'm a fool if he doesn't think that I don't suspect a thing,' the woman thought. 'Humans may be fooled, but I, the Jewel Maiden, is not one that can be trifled with.' She then saw a few wasps in the distance.

'Those damn Saimyoushou,' Tamamo-no-mae thought. 'Well, at least he didn't send that damn wind wench this time.' She then spoke out loud. "Tell your master that I have sent Kohaku to Mount Urawa. If he wants to do anything about that, let him do it there.' At that, the wasps left her.

"Now for some more fun" the woman said. She then changed to a certain fox spirit and flew into the air.

"My lord, I'm so glad that you're safe, knowing Nari's temper, I thought you would get in a fight with her- my lord?" Jaken said, then stopped when he saw that Sesshoumaru was not listening to him. Rin came to the dog demon.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, are we going now?" she asked.

"Not yet," Sesshoumaru replied. "Inu-Yasha is here as well."

"Really? So what are you going to do?" Jaken asked him.

"If Inu-Yasha is here, then Naraku might be here too," Sesshoumaru said. "I'll wait and see if Naraku shows up."

"Where is Inu-Yasha then, my lord?" Jaken inquired. He then saw his eyes go into slits. "My lord?"

"GET RIN OUT OF HERE!" Sesshoumaru commanded. Everyone else looked at him, surprised, including Ah and Un.

"Is someone close by-" Jaken started to say when he was interrupted.

"GO NOW!" Sesshoumaru said.

"Of course, my lord!" Jaken said. He turned to Rin. "Get on Ah and Un and get out of here!"

"Yes Jaken-sama," Rin said. She then went atop of the two-headed dragon. So did Jaken, who knew that Sesshoumaru would have his head if he did not watch over her.

Now that Sesshoumaru got his companions away from the scene, he could now turn his full attention to his current problem.

"If you won't come out, I'll come and find you myself!" Sesshoumaru growled, turning toward the west. A black form came out of the ground. The dog demon drew out Toukijin.

"Now, now, there's no need for violence" the form said. It then transformed into a white-haired fox. He wore a black kesa (robe) with a shakujou (staff).

"And who are you?" Sesshoumaru asked him. "And why are you wearing a houshi outfit?"

"Because I am a houshi, for my lady," the fox spirit told him.

"I do not understand" Sesshoumaru said.

"I give my reverence to my lady, and I wander throughout the land in her service" the fox spirit said.

"And who are you?" Sesshoumaru asked him.

"I'm Shirori," the fox spirit replied. "Like you, my mistress despised a certain someone close to her in blood. She used deception and magic to try to disgrace and frame her. Now my lady would like you to assist her in dealing with her foe. In return, she will like to help you in dispatching your own despised foe."

"What is your lady's name?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"You know her as Tamamo-no-mae, the Jewel Maiden," the fox spirit replied.

"Was she not confined to a rock by a human?" Sesshoumaru asked him.

"My lady was tricked by a mortal and was forced to flee to Nasu Moor where she was transformed into a part of the great rock there. Her evil aura killed many men and beasts that dared even to look at it. One day, however, a houshi put a seal on the rock and my mistress, so that now she's unable to use her powers aright. She's therefore forced to use other methods to achieve her aims," Shirori told him.

"I see" Sesshoumaru said. "And so why does she want my help?"

"She has heard of your powers, and also of your swords," Shirori replied.

"My swords?" Sesshoumaru said.

"You have two swords, don't you?" Shirori said. "You have a sword called Tenseiga and a sword called Toukijin, which was made of a demon's living head."

'How did he know about the origin of Toukijin?' Sesshoumaru thought. He then took a step forward.

"You are with Naraku, are you?" Sesshoumaru said. "Toukijin came from the head of one of his monsters. You must be in alliance with Naraku."

"My mistress' alliance with Naraku is a temporary one," Shirori said. "You too once had an alliance with him."

"If you are telling me to join Naraku again-" Sesshoumaru started to say.

"Like my lady, you despise half-demons, right? Nari produced a half-breed from a human farmer and Tamamo-no-mae believes that if she can get rid of her son Kon'ichi by making the villagers kill him, then Nari would be so filled with rage that it would be easy for Tamamo-no-mae to defeat her. Nari would have taken vengeance against the villagers on account of her son," Shirori explained.

"So it was Kon'ichi that she wanted to be killed with the hopes of getting Nari so mad that it would have been easy to kill her as well" Sesshoumaru said. "It's easier to defeat someone when their only emotion they feel is pure rage. Your lady is very clever."

"I know that you too despise half-breeds even though your own younger brother is one," Shirori said.

"What are you suggesting by that?" Sesshoumaru inquired.

"My lady is willing to do harm to him too if you agree to help my lady in- what are you doing-" Shirori started to say when he suddenly saw Sesshoumaru in front of him. "What?"

"I despise my younger brother, that's true. However-" the dog demon then grabbed Shirori by the neck. "I'll never ally myself with Naraku or any of his so-called allies again, do you get that?"

"Er, yes," Shirori said with a choked expression on his face. Sesshoumaru then let him go.

"If that is the only reason why you're here-" Sesshoumaru started to say when Shirori raised his shakujou.

"Maybe you have your two great swords, but you may want to reconsider my offer," Shirori said. The dog demon then positioned Toukijin at him.

"Or what?" Sesshoumaru said. Shirori felt the dark power of the sword, and decided to shut his mouth.

"Very well," Shirori said. He then changed into a black form and sped out of there. Sesshoumaru looked at his right hand.

'I very well may have caused Nari's son's demise already,' the dog demon thought, looking at his claws. 'Still if Inu-Yasha or Naraku is here, I shall not leave.' He then went away from the place.

"So this is the mountain?" Kagome questioned Kon'ichi.

"Yes" Kon'ichi answered, still trembling and sweating.

"I guess we have to go up it" Inu-Yasha said, looking skyward.

"I'll come too," Miroku said. "I'll seal the shelter with a few of my o-fudas. That way no demon can enter and harm him."

"But it'll also weaken his demon side!" Inu-Yasha said.

"That is the risk we must take," Miroku said. "Besides, he's too weak to defend himself now."

"I know that!" the dog hanyou said. "But he won't be able to fight anyone then!"

"I'll be with him," Miroku said. "They're my o-fudas so I'll not be affected by them."

"We should get water for Kon'ichi-kun too," Kagome said. "He's still sweating a lot." Inu-Yasha saw that the kitsune hanyou was still sweating heavily.

"Fine. Give me that thermos of yours," Inu-Yasha said. So Kagome gave him both the thermos and Kon'ichi.

"Be careful, Inu-Yasha!" Kagome said. Inu-Yasha nodded and turned to Miroku.

"Let's go, bouzu!" Inu-Yasha said. At that, the dog hanyou, with Kon'ichi in his arms, and Miroku started their trek toward the mountain.

'Do be careful, Inu-Yasha,' Kagome thought as she, Sango and Kirara watched them go.

End of Chapter Six

I finally finished this chapter and I'm so happy! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, and that a few of your questions has been answered. Shirori tried to get Sesshoumaru into joining Tamamo-no-mae and Naraku's side, and the Jewel Maiden's plan is finally revealed. What is her next step and can Inu-Yasha and Miroku keep Kon'ichi safe? Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please do not forget to review!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven of "Kon'ichi's Story" by Melinda-chan**

"All right, where did your Ofukuro put you?" Inu-Yasha asked. The kitsune hanyou was on his chest, trying not to fall down. He wanted to call out for his Mama, but he knew that he couldn't do so. Plus, no doubt Inu-Yasha would call him a wuss for doing so.

And he was so sick.

"I-nu-Ya-sha…" Kon'ichi said, very slowly.

"Hmm?" Inu-Yasha said, looking down. He then saw Kon'ichi turn green. "What is- oh shit!"

"What is it, Inu-oh no!" Miroku said when he saw Inu-Yasha hanging Kon'ichi by the tips of his fingers while Kon'ichi took a hurl. "He's getting worse!"

"I don't know, but he almost threw up on my kimono!" Inu-Yasha said.

"Let me take care of him, Inu-Yasha," Miroku said. The dog hanyou promptly gave him over to the houshi. Miroku then put him on his chest.

"Are you sure that's safe?" Inu-Yasha questioned.

"The poison must take its course," Miroku said. "If he died, Nari might put the blame on us. We wouldn't want that, would we?"

"Feh" was the only thing that Inu-Yasha said.

"I'm very sure that your Haha-ue is watching out for you," Miroku said to Kon'ichi. ("Haha-ue" is an old term for "Mother" in Japanese).

"Really?" Kon'ichi said.

"If you feel very sick, just let me know" Miroku said.

"Okay," Kon'ichi said. This did not escape Inu-Yasha's attention.

"What are you? His adoptive Ofukuro?" the dog hanyou said.

"A little boy needs his mother," Miroku said. "I was deprived of mine when I was very young." Inu-Yasha decided not to comment on that.

"Okay, Kon'ichi, where did your Ofukuro took you?" the dog hanyou later questioned. Kon'ichi sniffed the air.

"She-she put me somewhere higher," the kitsune hanyou said.

"Higher, huh?" Inu-Yasha said. "You think you can handle the height, bouzu?" He turned toward Miroku.

"As a houshi, I'm used to walking on mountains," Miroku said. "Most mountains have pathways just for us."

"How high did she put you?" Inu-Yasha asked Kon'ichi.

"She put me in a cave in a high place," Kon'ichi said. "I can tell when we reach it. It should still smell like Mama."

"Do you know exactly where your Ofukuro put you?" the dog hanyou asked.

"It was high…" the kitsune hanyou could only say.

"Look up, Inu-Yasha," Miroku said. The dog hanyou did look up and saw that a bunch of leaf sprites were flying above them. "They may guide us toward the right cave."

"If they could do that, why are they just standing there?" Inu-Yasha said. "It looks like they are just spying on us!"

"If we can ask them-" Miroku started to say.

"Like we can!" Inu-Yasha retorted. Miroku then looked up.

"Could you please tell us where Kon'ichi's mother put him?" the houshi asked. "Kon'ichi is unable to help us." All of a sudden the leaf sprites flew away.

"They left us!" Inu-Yasha said.

"No, they want us to follow them!" Miroku said.

"If you think…" Inu-Yasha started to say. He then saw Miroku trying to follow the leaf sprites. "Hey! Don't leave me behind!" At that, Inu-Yasha raced after him.

The leaf sprites stopped above a large cave. It smelled of grass and plum blossoms.

"It's Mama!" Kon'ichi said.

"Mama?" Inu-Yasha said. He then sniffed the air. It did smell like Nari. He turned to Kon'ichi inside Miroku's kesa. "Is this the cave where your Ofukuro kept you?"

"Mama! Mama! Mama!" Kon'ichi kept saying.

"I think that answered your question" Miroku said.

"Let's go inside then," Inu-Yasha said. So they did.

"Do you want for me to seal up the cave now?" Miroku asked him. The dog hanyou looked at the thermos.

"I'll go get some water first," Inu-Yasha said. "Bouzu, you look after Kon'ichi. I'll go and find some water and give it to you." At that, Inu-Yasha went off.

"Do be careful, Inu-Yasha!" Miroku shouted. The dog hanyou made a "Feh" sound from a distance.

This left Kon'ichi all alone with Miroku. The houshi then put down the kitsune hanyou and wrapped his cloak around him.

"Do you feel better, Kon'ichi?" Miroku asked.

"Um sure," Kon'ichi said. Miroku then smiled.

"You have been such a good boy," Miroku said in a very soft voice. "I hope you'll continue to cooperate with these strangers."

"Houshi-sama?" Kon'ichi said, a little unsure of himself.

"I know what happened to you back there," Miroku said. "I assure you that I'll make sure that you'll not be left without a guardian ever again." Miroku then held Kon'ichi tighter. "I cannot heal you like this, but I can protect you with this person. Now do fall asleep in my arms until that dog half-demon comes back, will you?" Kon'ichi didn't know what to say.

"Mama?" He finally said.

"If you wish to call me that" 'Miroku' said. "I know that I cannot help you now, but do be strong. Do not let me down."

"Uh huh" Kon'ichi said. So he did as he was told to. He felt so sincere now.

"I feel your fever is going down," 'Miroku' said, putting 'his' right hand on his head. "I shall not leave this matter alone. I can guarantee you that."

"Mama…" Kon'ichi said, putting his head right on 'Miroku's' robe.

"What the hell are you talking about, bouzu?" Inu-Yasha suddenly appeared, putting his right foot on 'Miroku's' head.

"What are you-" 'Miroku' started to say when 'he' looked up and saw Inu-Yasha. "You're the dog hanyou, aren't you?"

"What are you talking about, bouzu?" Inu-Yasha questioned. "You're acting awfully weird, bouzu."

"That's not Houshi-sama, it's Mama!" Kon'ichi said.

"I think your fever's getting too high," Inu-Yasha said, putting his right hand on Kon'ichi's forehead. "You're getting delusional."

"But Mama's in him!" the kitsune hanyou said. "Mama is talking through Houshi-sama!"

"What?" the dog hanyou said. He then looked at Miroku. "Are you Miroku?"

"Who do you think I am?" Miroku said. "I did black out for a few minutes, but-"

"Mama took over Houshi-sama!" Kon'ichi said. That made Inu-Yasha go closer to Miroku. He then sniffed him.

"He must have been possessed from a distance," Inu-Yasha said. "I can't sense any other smell beside him." He then looked at Kon'ichi. "Did he-she-whatever- do anything to you?"

"Nothing!" the kitsune hanyou said. He then coughed up a little blood. Inu-Yasha gave Miroku the thermos.

"Make sure he gets enough water in him," the dog hanyou said. "I'm going after Kagome now. Hang on tough, Kon'ichi. Don't let Sesshoumaru get the best of you." At that, Inu-Yasha left.

"I should put some o-fudas at the mouth of the cave now," Miroku said. He then laid Kon'ichi against the wall. He saw that he was still sweating very much. "Inu-Yasha is right. You need to be strong. Think of Mama. What would she say if you died?"

"Mama…" Kon'ichi said. He then closed his eyes.

'If Nari did take me over for a few minutes, then she must know where he is and that he is safe' Miroku thought. 'I can't do anything else now anyway.' He then put the o-fudas at the mouth of the cave. At that, he went against the wall of the cave and shut his own eyes. Little did they know that a non-demon being was coming closer and closer to the vicinity.

In the meantime, Inu-Yasha was sniffing the ground.

'I'm not picking up Kagome or Sango's scent,' Inu-Yasha thought. 'Don't tell me I went the wrong way-' He then stopped when his sensitive ears caught a buzzing sound.

Oh no…

Sure enough, when the dog hanyou looked up, he saw the Saimyoushou- Naraku's poisionous wasps.

'Shit' Inu-Yasha thought. 'I guess that bastard is nearby, huh?' He then saw a small figure standing on a cliff.

It was Kohaku!

Inu-Yasha knew this couldn't be good.

'Kohaku…' Inu-Yasha thought. 'Sango's younger brother. Why is he doing here?' He then saw the Saimyoushou go to him. Kohaku then nodded and went off.

'He's going in the direction of- oh no!' the dog hanyou thought. 'He's going after Kon'ichi! I got to stop him!' Inu-Yasha was about to go after him when he stopped.

'If I go after Kohaku and he gets hurt, Sango'll get mad at me, and so will Kagome,' Inu-Yasha thought. His eyes then widened. 'Kagome and Sango! I can't let them alone when Naraku could be nearby!' He started to go to the east. 'That bouzu can take care of Kohaku. I got to check on Kagome and the others.' At that, he went off.

Kohaku, now clearly under Naraku's control, stood before the cave. The Saimyoushou flew above him. After a minute passed by, Kohaku entered the cave. He saw Miroku sleeping on the wall next to Kon'ichi. Kohaku slowly raised his kusarigama and then strike with it.

End of Chapter Seven

This story is coming close to the climax, so I hope to end this in a few more chapters. Despite the lack of reviews, I really like this story. I just hope to get a few more reviews before this is over. Now that Kohaku has entered into the picture, could Naraku be close behind? What happened to Kagome and Sango? And what about Nari, Shippo and Sesshoumaru? Don't miss Chapter Eight! Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please do not forget to review!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight of "Kon'ichi's Story" by Melinda-chan**

SWING! KLAK!

Kohaku's kusarigama was suddenly met by a raised staff. Miroku held up his shakujou against him, forcing Kohaku to go back.

"Kohaku, snap out of it!" Miroku said. The boy didn't seem to hear him. He raised his kusarigama again.

"Don't listen to him, Kohaku!" Miroku said. "I know that you can resist him!"

Kohaku responded by swinging his weapon at him but Miroku managed to dodge it.

'What is he doing here?' Miroku thought. 'Is he after Kon'ichi or me?' Miroku then had to go in front of the kitsune hanyou when Kohaku tried to strike him.

"Kohaku!" Miroku yelled. "You know you can resist him! What would your older sister think?" All this commotion caused Kon'ichi to wake up.

"Houshi-sama, what is going on?" Kon'ichi asked. The kitsune hanyou opened his eyes to see Miroku fighting a boy with a sickle-shaped weapon.

"A human puppet of Naraku is here," Miroku said in disgust. "But don't hurt him! He's just being possessed by him!"

"What should I do?" Kon'ichi questioned.

"I'll keep him back! Run out!" Miroku said. Though he was still very sick, Kon'ichi knew he had to chance it- at the very least he had to avoid being killed by the boy.

Kon'ichi started to sprint out of the cave. This didn't escape Kohaku's notice, who turned to go after him.

'I thought so!' Miroku thought. 'He's really after Kon'ichi!' At that, Miroku went after him.

Kon'ichi was almost out of the cave when he heard the chain of the kusarigama. He looked back, only to see the boy raise his chain weapon against him. Kon'ichi let out a loud growl. He then was about to attack him again when Miroku leaped at Kohaku.

"I'll hold him down! Kon'ichi, run!" Miroku ordered. Kon'ichi saw him struggle with the boy. He then nodded and ran out of the cave. Kohaku saw him run and let go of Miroku.

"KOHAKU!" Miroku said. He then got up and chased after him. As soon as he got out of the cave, he stopped running.

After a while, Kon'ichi looked back only to see Kohaku running after him. The kitsune hanyou attempted to run faster, but he then tripped on a piece of wood that was in his path. He looked up to see the possessed boy looking down at him with vacant eyes. What alarmed Kon'ichi the most, however, was the kusarigama in his right hand that he now raised again. He then lowered it and then-

Meanwhile, not a long time ago, Inu-Yasha was still sniffing the ground frantically.

'I can't smell them anymore!' Inu-Yasha thought. 'Don't tell me they're not-' Inu-Yasha then had his thoughts interrupted by a voice from above.

"Inu-Yasha! Can you hear me?" Kagome shouted.

"Yeah! I can hear you!" Inu-Yasha shouted back, still running. "Are you going to come down to get me or what?"

"No! We'll let you run all the way there!" Kagome yelled at him.

"WHAT?" Inu-Yasha screamed, putting his arms up in protest.

"I'm just kidding!" Kagome said. "Let us down, Kirara!" At that, Kirara went down. Inu-Yasha reached out his right hand, which Kagome took and pulled him up onto the cat demon.

"Kagome, Sango, you know where to go?" Inu-Yasha said.

"Kirara picked up his scent," Sango answered sadly. Inu-Yasha had his face downcast.

"Inu-Yasha, did you put Kon'ichi-kun somewhere safe?" Kagome questioned. "And is Miroku-sama with him?"

"Yeah," the dog hanyou said. "But Kohaku is going after him too." At that, Kagome and Sango looked at him.

"You saw him?" Sango questioned.

"Yeah" Inu-Yasha answered. "He got a head start, so we better get moving fast!"

"You heard that, Kirara?" Kagome said. At that, Kirara uttered a sound and sped forward.

"You didn't see anyone while you were waiting?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"No one but us," Kagome replied.

"I hope so," Inu-Yasha said. "But I wish that it was anyone else but him."

"Let's hope that nothing horrible has happened" Sango said. The dog hanyou looked at her, knowing the time that she once almost killed her younger brother just so she could set him free from Naraku. He'll have to keep an eye on her just in case.

"Oh I see Kon'ichi-kun and oh no, it's Kohaku!" Kagome said in alarm. The dog hanyou looked down and saw Kon'ichi being pursued by Kohaku with Miroku right behind him!

"Kohaku is going to kill Kon'ichi and Miroku is going to kill Kohaku!" Inu-Yasha shouted. He then dropped down onto the ground below, right between Kon'ichi and Kohaku.

"I know you got a mind of your own, so use it!" the dog hanyou said. Kohaku didn't respond, but simply went back.

That of course led him directly into Miroku.

Miroku let out a loud growl and tried to hit Kohaku using the other end of his staff. Kohaku, knowing that Inu-Yasha was directly behind him, went sideways. Miroku moved accordingly. Kirara landed on the ground. Kagome and Sango both went off her at once.

"KOHAKU!" Sango screamed. All of a sudden Kohaku stopped, as if his older sister's voice had penetrated into his mind somehow.

But that didn't stop Miroku from trying to hit him again.

WHACK!

The staff hit Kohaku right on his left shoulder. It started to bleed.

"KOHAKU! STOP IT HOUSHI-SAMA!" Sango screamed in alarm. But Miroku raised his shakujou again.

"SHE SAID TO STOP, BOUZU!" Inu-Yasha shouted. He then grabbed the shakujou from behind. Miroku then let out a growl that made Inu-Yasha's ears go wide. He never heard the houshi make that sound before. It didn't even sound human.

Miroku then went back and stepped on the dog hanyou's feet.

"OW! SHIT!" Inu-Yasha said. He went down to his feet and rubbed them. "You're so damn lucky that you didn't break anything- hey!" He then saw Miroku attempt to strike Kohaku again. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, BOUZU? SHE SAID TO STOP IT!"

Miroku let out a loud growl- the same one that Inu-Yasha heard before- and proceeded to go after Kohaku.

'He's acting like he's possessed!' Inu-Yasha thought. 'Could it be that he is possessed?'

"MIROKU!" Inu-Yasha yelled. He then launched himself at the houshi. 'Miroku' turned around to face him. He then raised his shakujou to deflect the attack.

Meanwhile, Kohaku was looking around the place, though his eyes always went back to Sango. Her face was still etched in his mind, no matter how much he wanted it to disappear. He was already losing his will to fight. Maybe he should leave.

"KOHAKU!" Sango yelled when she saw him running away. The possessed Miroku started running at him, but then the Saimyoushou appeared and put a blockade in front of him. Miroku let out a loud growl but couldn't go forward.

"Kirara, we have to go after Kohaku!" Sango said to her cat demon. Kirara growled in agreement and let her master on her. The wasps dispersed, allowing Sango and Kirara to go after Kohaku, even though he was no longer around.

"BOUZU! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH YOU?" Inu-Yasha shouted. Miroku looked surprised.

"I don't know what you're saying, Inu-Yasha," Miroku responded. "Did something happen to me when I went out of the cave?" Now Inu-Yasha was taken aback.

"Mama…" Kon'ichi suddenly spoke out. Kagome looked down at the kitsune hanyou and picked him up. Miroku looked concerned as well.

"Kon'ichi-kun, you look worse than before!" Kagome said. She then put a hand on his forehead. "You're sweating a lot too!"

"It's my fault," Miroku said, regaining his composure. "I made him run. The poison is going faster through his system now."

"I see that you're back to normal," the dog hanyou said.

"Back to normal?" Miroku said. "I don't know what you mean."

'He can't recall what he did to Kohaku?' Kagome thought.

"You do remember everything after you went out of the cave, did you?" Inu-Yasha asked him.

"I do recall going out of the cave and chasing after Kohaku and oh- where is he now?" Miroku inquired, looking around. "And where is Sango-chan and Kirara, Kagome-sama?"

"Kohaku-kun went off and Sango-chan went after him," Kagome said.

"I see," Miroku said.

"You don't remember that! That happened a few minutes ago!" Inu-Yasha said.

"Mama!" Kon'ichi said in a weak voice. He then coughed up blood.

"Are you okay, Kon'ichi-kun?" Kagome asked in alarm.

"Is he getting worse?" Miroku asked, walking to Kagome.

"I think his fever is getting higher," Kagome said. Kon'ichi was starting to tremble greatly in her arms.

"Do you have anything that could help it go down?" Inu-Yasha asked her.

"Only a cold cloth," Kagome said. "But I don't have anything for the poison."

"I don't think you would anyway," the dog hanyou said. "Not for Sesshoumaru's poison anyway." Miroku had his head down.

"There's a herb that could help him," Miroku said.

"You mean against the fever?" Kagome asked.

"Yes" Miroku answered. "I don't know what you may call it but I know that it's able to work against demon poison."

"I don't know if it would work against Sesshoumaru's poison, Miroku-sama," Kagome said. Inu-Yasha went closer to Miroku and looked all over him.

"How would you know that?" the dog hanyou asked. "Or is Nari feeding you information again?"

"I must admit that it suddenly came into my head," Miroku said. "If the information came from my own mind or through Nari, does it really matter?"

"He's right," Kagome said. "Kon'ichi-kun is getting very sick. If Nari is giving him information, then it means that she really wants to help him."

"All right," Inu-Yasha said. "But I'm keeping a close eye on Miroku from now on."

"If Kon'ichi-kun is getting sicker, then we shouldn't stay here and talk," Kagome said. "We have to find that herb or he could die!"

"If Nari is the one that told me, then she'll help me guide us to it" Miroku said.

"Then let's go!" Kagome said. "We got to help Kon'ichi no matter what!" So they left, with Inu-Yasha reluctantly going along, in the search for the herb.

Meanwhile, Nari and Shippo were walking near a forest.

"Nari-sama, what are you going to do next?" Shippo inquired. The female kitsune just looked up ahead. Shippo looked too and saw a duplicate of Nari in their pathway. "Nari-sama, who's that?" Shippo asked. He then saw her run at the duplicate. "Nari-sama!"

Shippo then saw her get a blade of grass from the inside of her kimono, which transformed into a long sharp blade. He watched in awe as Nari fought with the duplicate using it.

"Get her, Nari-sama!" Shippo cheered. He then saw that the double had a black ball in her hands. "What's that?" All of a sudden it went inside Nari. "Oh no!"

The duplicate smiled as Nari went still. Shippo knew he had to act.

"FOX FIRE!" Shippo then threw a bunch of flame balls at the copy. This shocked the copy, who had to move to dodge the balls of flame.

"FOX MAGIC!" Shippo then transformed into a big spinning top, which then spun right at the copy. The copy ran for her life as Shippo let out his fury by trying to attack her.

However, it all ended when the duplicate hit him.

"Ohhhhh…." Shippo moaned as he went back to his original form with swirlies appearing in his eyes. The other fox spirit grinned wickedly.

"You think that I, Tamamo-no-mae, the Jewel Maiden, the most powerful kitsune in this land, will be stopped by a mere pup like you?" The fox spirit then transformed into a beautiful maiden holding a fan. "You're lucky that I don't have any time to waste my powers on you! Now go back to your mama and leave me and my plot of revenge alone!"

Shippo was going to say that he didn't have his Okaa anymore, when he realized that she was no longer there. He then got up, and saw that Nari was still where she last stood. She looked as if she had been stunned.

"Nari-sama, are you alright?" Shippo asked. "Did she do anything to you?" Nari let out a small weak sound.

"I see, she weakened your powers," Shippo said. "There's a forest nearby, where you can get your powers back." Nari slowly nodded. "I'll go and try to find Inu-Yasha and the others. I have to warn them about her." Nari then made a concerned sound.

"Don't worry about me," Shippo said. "I'll just go and deliver the message to them. I'll get back here and see what you want me to do next. Let me take you to the forest now." He then led her into the middle of the forest. "Here you go. I have to go now but I'll be back as soon as I can. That's a promise!" Nari then raised her hand. All of a sudden a bunch of leaf sprites came to Shippo and pulled him up into the sky.

"Hey! What is going on?" Shippo asked in alarm. "Oh, I get it now! Thank you Nari-sama! I'll be back! I won't forget!" Nari managed to utter a loud affirmative sound in response before the leaf sprites carried the little fox spirit away.

'I got to get there before that kitsune does!' Shippo thought. 'Oh, leaf sprites, please hurry!' Shippo can only hope that he'll arrive in time just before it would be too late to stop her.

End of Chapter Eight


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine of "Kon'ichi's Story" by Melinda-chan**

"KOHAKU!"

Sango's scream rang right through the mountain. She cursed herself for not bringing Kagome along- at least with her, she could locate Kohaku's Shikon shard. But by the time she could go back and retrieve her, Kohaku could be too far for her to locate.

"KOHAKU!" Sango shouted. Kirara was also looking around. She knew that Naraku could be nearby, which made her even more determined to find Kohaku.

Sango then saw him on a cliff- and looking quite sad. She made Kirara go close, but not too close to him- she knew full well that she could be walking into a trap. Still, she couldn't abandon her baby brother without talking to him first.

"Kohaku, can you hear me from down there?" Sango shouted. She then saw him look up. So far, so good, she thought.

"Kohaku, I know you've forgotten almost everything, but you do remember when you were hiding from Naraku?" Sango yelled. She then saw the agitated look on his face. Maybe it was still too much shock for him.

"Do you know who I am?" Sango asked. A few minutes of silence gave her the answer. "I am Sango. Do you remember that name?" A twinkle came into his eyes.

"A-" Kohaku started to say.

'Yes!' Sango thought.

"-ne-" Kohaku then said.

'Yes! Yes!' Sango thought.

All of a sudden a strong wind blew, causing Sango and Kirara to go back in the air. Sango looked down to see Kagura, the wind sorceress herself, right next to him.

"KAGURA!" Sango yelled with all her might.

"You're not trying to revive this boy's memories, are you?" Kagura said. Sango clenched her teeth. "You know that if you do, all of the bad memories will come rushing out and you don't want that, do you?" Sango still had her teeth clenched. "Naraku needs this boy anyway, so if you don't mind-" a sudden gush of wind caused Sango to shield her face, only to see a big flying feather with Kagura and Kohaku on it.

"KOHAKU!" Sango yelled. "Kirara, follow them!" The cat demon then tried to follow her master's orders, but then Naraku's wasps came and blocked their way.

"FIRE AT THEM!" Sango commanded. The cat demon did as ordered, but when the Samiyoushou finally dispersed, Kagura and Kohaku were no longer in sight.

"DAMMIT!" Sango said. She felt like crying. At least she took comfort in that Kohaku was trying to remember her. She wanted to tell him that she knew it wasn't his fault, that she loved him no matter what, and that she'll never allow anyone to take him away from her ever again.

But knowing Naraku, he'll make him forget all over again. She felt so frustrated, but at least she knows that he's still alive. With that thought, hope swelled in her heart again.

'I'll never forsake you, Kohaku,' Sango thought. 'Just hang in there until I can get you from Naraku. I promise you that.' Just then, Kirara made a sound.

"You're right," Sango said. "Everyone else needs our help too. I know that I'll see him again so I don't have to worry for now." 'For now' she thought. At that, she and Kirara tried to go back, not realizing that the group had moved to another location.

"He better not throw up on me!" Inu-Yasha yelled. Kagome, Miroku and Shippo were also on him, with Kon'ichi inside her opened backpack

"I just hope that he'll not throw up on me!" Kagome said. "When will we get there, Inu-Yasha?"

"Why don't we go on YOUR back and see how far we would go on YOU!" the dog hanyou said, obviously irritated.

"You don't have to be rude about it!" Kagome said. "Miroku-sama, you do remember where this plant is supposed to be found?"

"I know that the pitcher plant can be found by mountains but I don't know if it can be found around here," Miroku said.

"But didn't Nari say that it's around here?" Inu-Yasha said.

"She said it, not me," Miroku said.

"Well, we're at the bottom of the mountain," Kagome said. "We should be looking for it now." At that, the dog hanyou stopped and let them off his back.

"So what colour is it?" Kagome questioned. It was a few minutes later, and everyone but Kon'ichi was looking for the plant.

"It's white with a pitcher shape" Miroku said.

'I should have known that,' Kagome thought. She then felt Kon'ichi trembling at her back. "It's okay, Kon'ichi-kun. We'll find you the pitcher plant so you can get better."

"It's not that. I feel a strange power," Kon'ichi said weakly.

"A strange power?" Kagome said. At that, Inu-Yasha looked around.

"I don't sense anything- no wait!" Inu-Yasha then put up his sleeves. "Keep Kon'ichi back, everyone! I sense a presence, and it's evil."

"Where is it then?" Kagome asked. All of a sudden the grass at her feet withered and died. "What's happening?"

"I smell a stench of evil," Inu-Yasha said. "And it's not Naraku."

"Kagome-sama, take Kon'ichi in your arms and prepare to run away," Miroku ordered. "Inu-Yasha and me will try to protect both of you, so if I tell you to run, do it!"

"Yes Miroku-sama," Kagome said. They then braced for the upcoming attack by the evil presence.

As expected, they didn't have to wait long for it.

"Kagome-sama!" Miroku yelled. She took that to mean "Run away!" so she moved her feet.

The form that appeared before them became a woman with a large round fan. She then smiled gleefully.

"Oh no you don't!" the "woman" said. She then released a bunch of small fans.

"Shi no Uchiha!" the woman said. "Fans of Death!" At once, they all went at Kagome.

"KAGOME!!" Inu-Yasha yelled. He then went back. "BOUZU, TAKE CARE OF THAT WENCH! IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!" He then proceeded to slash all of the fans. A bunch of black goop went out of them, forcing him to dodge every time he slashed them. He then landed next to Kagome.

"Here!" Inu-Yasha said. He then took off his red coat and handed it to Kagome. "Put this on and give me Kon'ichi!"

"Why, Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked.

"So I can take him to his Ofukuro!" the dog hanyou replied. "We can't fight this bitch and protect him too!"

"But Inu-Yasha, we need you here!" Kagome said.

"I have the strongest nose here! I can find my way back!" Inu-Yasha said.

"I know, but…" Kagome started to say but then a fan almost hit her. A leaf sprite fell down just in time. It vanished in a puff of smoke.

"It sacrificed itself!" Kagome said.

"Mama…" Kon'ichi said.

"Give me the boy and I'll get out of here!" Inu-Yasha said. Just then, a series of fans caused him to use Tetsusaiga to destroy them before they could hurt Kagome.

"Hey bouzu! A little help here!" the dog hanyou yelled.

"I'm trying!" Miroku yelled back. 'I can't use my Kazaana or I'll get poisoned! Her presence is killing all the vegetation around here!' he thought. He then got out a bunch of o-fudas from his kesa. 'I don't think this will defeat her, but at least it should distract her enough so that Inu-Yasha can escape!'

"Here goes nothing!" Miroku said. He then threw the o-fudas at her. They disintegrated inside her "flesh." She howled in pain.

"You foolish bouzu!" the "woman" hissed. She then turned black. "I shall take you out first."

'What is she planning to do?' Miroku thought. He then saw her form a dark cloud above her. 'Is that what I think it is?'

"POISON CLOUD! Go at that human now!" the form said. At once, the cloud started to go at Miroku!

'What do I do?' Miroku thought. 'I can't use my Kazaana and my o-fudas won't work on simply clouds of poison!'

And then…

"FOX FIRE!" Shippo's voice caused the black form to turn around. A bunch of fire balls came at it and the poison cloud.

'Shippo?' Miroku thought.

"Shippo!" Kagome said.

"Inu-Yasha, use it now!" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Use what?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"You know…Tetsusaiga!" Shippo replied.

"Oh yeah," Inu-Yasha said. He then got out his sword. It transformed into the huge sword that helped him defeat so many demons before.

"So that's the Fang Cleaving Sword," the form said. It then changed into the lady again. "It's still no match for me and my poison cloud."

"You think so? Miroku, stand aside!" Inu-Yasha said. "I want to make a clear shot!" Miroku did just so, and Inu-Yasha then brought down his sword. "BACKLASH WAVE!" All of a sudden a great wave of energy came out of his sword and headed right at the evil spirit.

"I-I need to get out of-" the "woman" started to say when the energy overcame her. She vanished, but a black mist then arose. The power of the Backlash Wave caused her to lose all of her physical connection to the world, so that all of her powers became depleted.

"What is she-" Shippo started to say when the mist vanished. "What the heck?"

"Get ready" Inu-Yasha growled. "She could've just disappeared for a moment, waiting to attack us again!"

"I don't sense her anywhere!" Miroku said. "She could've had her physical aspect eliminated!"

"Just hold on…" Inu-Yasha said. The only sounds heard now was Kon'ichi's teeth chattering.

"Kon'ichi-kun!" Kagome said. Inu-Yasha then ran to her.

"Is he getting worse?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"We got to find the pitcher plant and soon!" Kagome said.

"You think that a herb could help him with Sesshoumaru's poison?" Shippo sounded skeptical.

"Nari told me that it might be able to draw some of the poison out so that he could heal faster," Miroku said.

"If that's the case, then I can find it for you!" Shippo said. He then transformed into the pink bubble thing and floated away.

"After we give him the tea, he's going back to the cave!" Inu-Yasha said. "We can't carry a sick child with us! He'll be a burden and a target, just like today-"

"SIT!" Kagome yelled, without any hesitation. Inu-Yasha immediately went down on the ground.

"What did you do that for?" Inu-Yasha growled. "You know that we can't just keep hauling everywhere we go! He'll be a target just like he was before!"

Kagome was about to "sit" him again when she stopped. She then looked down at Kon'ichi. He had his eyes closed. Kagome had to admit he needed rest, and he wouldn't get any if he went with them- not to mention that he could be a target again.

"Do you really think he'll be safe just by himself?" Kagome asked.

"I'm sure that Nari wouldn't allow Kon'ichi to be left unguarded," Miroku said. "The leaf sprites will keep an eye on him."

"I guess we have no choice," Kagome said. She then saw something up ahead. "Hey! It's Shippo!" Everybody then saw his pink bubble form floating back to them.

"Shippo! Did you found it?" Miroku said.

"I think so," Shippo replied. He then changed back to his kitsune form. "Is this what Nari wanted?" Miroku then looked down at it.

"Yes that's it" Miroku said. "Kagome-sama, you do have a teapot, right?"

"Yes!" Kagome said. "I'll get it right away!"

A few minutes later, Kagome was trying to get Kon'ichi to drink the freshly brewed tea.

"Come on, Kon'ichi-kun!" Kagome said. The kitsune hanyou had his mouth closed, not submitting to her request at all. "It's not that hot!" Kon'ichi still refused to open his mouth.

"You don't suppose he doesn't like tea?" Miroku said.

"Or he doesn't want to drink right now," Inu-Yasha said.

"Maybe it doesn't taste good?" Shippo suggested.

"I know!" Miroku said. He then went down and scratched Kon'ichi throat lightly. "Open up!" Kon'ichi moved his head to the side, but his mouth did open.

"I'll hold his head," Inu-Yasha said. He then went down and grabbed Kon'ichi's head, holding it up. Kagome quickly poured the tea down his throat.

"Ack!" Kon'ichi said. He then swallowed.

"Good boy!" Kagome said. She then looked at the houshi. "Miroku-sama, how did you know how to do that trick?"

"All I know is that it's impossible for someone to keep their mouth closed when someone is tickling their throat," Miroku said.

'I'll have to remember that' Kagome thought. She then spoke up again.

"Sango-chan is taking a long time, don't you think?" Kagome asked.

"Now that you mentioned it, where did she go?" Shippo inquired.

"Kohaku appeared, so she-" Kagome replied when Shippo shook his head.

"I knew it," the kitsune said. "I don't know who is worse- Sango going after Kohaku or Inu-Yasha going after Kikyo- OW!" Shippo was interrupted when the dog hanyou stepped on his head. "THAT HURT!"

"It'll hurt a lot worse if you don't shut your mouth," Inu-Yasha growled, cracking his knuckles.

"You know what I say is true!" Shippo said. "Every time Kikyo's in the area, you have to find her-" At that, Inu-Yasha growled.

"I told you to-" he started to say when a shadow came over them. Everybody but Kon'ichi looked up. It was Sango and Kirara!

"Sango-chan!" Kagome shouted. Kirara went down. "Did you- never mind." She stopped when she saw that Sango had an unhappy expression on her face.

"Did anything happen while I was gone?" Sango questioned.

"The evil fox spirit that Nari-sama is trying to defeat showed up here and tried to attack Kagome and Kon'ichi!" Shippo explained.

"Was it the one that you said was Nari's enemy?" Sango asked Miroku.

"Yes" Miroku answered. "I think I now know what happened."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, holding Kon'ichi in her arms.

"It's possible that Tamamo-no-mae may be the one that killed the family of Kon'ichi's father," Miroku said. Kon'ichi, despite being sick, perked up his ears.

"That makes sense," Inu-Yasha said. "She posed as Nari so that the villagers would think it was her! It's the perfect setup!"

"But who or what freed her from the rock?" Sango asked. "She was kept in a rock, right?"

"I don't really know, but I do have a good guess," Miroku said. Everybody had the same thought in their heads.

"NARAKU!!" almost everybody shouted at once.

"If he did free her from the rock then, why would he do it?" Kagome asked.

"To cause trouble of course!" Inu-Yasha replied. "That's what he's always doing!"

"But why did he freed Tamamo-no-mae for?" Kagome asked. "Did he want to get rid of Nari?"

"Nari knew about Naraku," Shippo said. "She didn't want him in her area because she heard what he did in other areas. Plus, if any Shikon shard came here, she probably considered them hers."

"So is she an ally or an enemy then?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"SIT!" Kagome shouted. All of a sudden Inu-Yasha fell down face-first on the ground.

"What did I do?" Inu-Yasha demanded.

"Nari isn't an enemy!" Kagome said. The dog hanyou still looked pissed off. "Anyway, we need to take care of Kon'ichi first!" She then put her hand on the kitsune hanyou's head. "His fever isn't getting worse, but he still needs to rest."

"Then we should get him back to the cave and hopefully he'll stay there!" Inu-Yasha said.

"I imagine that Nari will be more vigilant now that she knows that Naraku is after him," Miroku said.

"Then let's do it!" Inu-Yasha said.

"Why are you so eager to do this?" Kagome asked.

"I think it's because tomorrow's the new moon," Shippo said. At that, Inu-Yasha glared at the small kitsune.

"It's NOT that!" the dog hanyou said.

"Tomorrow is the new moon, isn't it?" Sango asked Miroku.

"I believe so," Miroku said. "We should face Naraku before then."

'If we can find him,' Kagome thought. Kon'ichi then trembled. She put him closer to her chest and rubbed his head.

"He just needs some rest, Kagome," Inu-Yasha said.

"I know" Kagome said. She then looked at Miroku. "But could Naraku attack him again?"

"I don't think it'll be this easy the next time if he did," Miroku said. "It's very likely that Nari didn't know about Kohaku, but I'm sure that she'll not make the same mistake again."

"Then let's get back to the cave!" Inu-Yasha said. "If he wouldn't be going anywhere, we can take him to the cave and get this over with already!" Everybody nodded, so they all went on Kirara and flew off.

As they did so, one of the Saimyoushou- Naraku's wasps- came out of its hiding place and flew off. Naraku would know what was happening in a few minutes.

"Now stay there until we come back!" Inu-Yasha said. They were all in the cave now. Kon'ichi was lying against the right cave wall. Kagome was giving him a drink of water.

"We'll not be out for long," Kagome said. "We'll just find Naraku and get the truth from him."

"And then we'll kill him!" Inu-Yasha said.

"And get the Shikon jewel shards," Miroku added.

"And get Kohaku back to me," Sango interjected.

"Yeah!" Shippo said, knowing what else to say. Kirara then mewed her approval.

"Just stay put," Kagome said. "You'll not be able to get well if you keep moving." She then put a cold cloth on his head. "Keep still and we'll back as soon as we can." She then got up and looked at everyone. "Miroku-sama will put the o-fudas up so no demon will enter, and I'm sure that your Mama will make sure that no one will try to hurt you again."

"Mama…" Kon'ichi said. Kagome then smiled. She then picked up her bag and left the cave. All except Miroku did likewise. Miroku then went to him.

"I want you to stay there unless you're in immediate danger, do you got that?" Miroku said, using a soft tone. "I know that you want to be a strong boy, but you're in no shape to fight. If I can find it, I'll bring some more medicine to help you, but do stay put. Will you obey me?" At first, Kon'ichi looked uncertain, but then nodded. 'Miroku' then smiled.

"The humans wouldn't be out for long. I'll make sure of that," 'Miroku' said. 'He' then put up the o-fudas and left.

"The evil kitsune tried to frame Mama, huh?" Kon'ichi said to himself. He then closed his eyes. He could sleep until the night of the new moon arrives and then he will become truly human. He would then get out of the cave and go back to the village and tell the villagers the truth. Kon'ichi then allowed sleep to overcome him, now knowing what he had to do to clear his Mama's name once and for all.

End of Chapter Nine

Uh-oh. It looks like Kon'ichi is planning to take things into his own hands once he becomes human. Plus, the Inu-Yasha gang is now searching for Naraku and the whole truth will finally be revealed once and for all. Also, what about Sesshoumaru and Nari? Don't miss the next exciting chapter! Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Don't forget to review!


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten of "Kon'ichi's Story by Melinda-chan**

I like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. While I feel that my story could use a few more reviews, I'm still happy with what I've got so far. I'm touched by the fact that you all care for Kon'ichi. That pleases me, as this means people are really interested in my story.

Now that's done with, let this chapter begin!

Sesshoumaru, in the meantime, was walking toward the woods with Jaken, Rin and Ah and Un when he suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin questioned.

"Do you sense something, my lord?" Jaken asked.

"Jaken, Rin, stay here," Sesshoumaru said. "I alone shall enter the forest."

"Does something bad lives there, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin questioned.

"No," Sesshoumaru replied. "I'm just going to check on something." He then walked into the forest, leaving them both behind.

"Don't be too long, my lord!" Jaken shouted. Sesshoumaru didn't reply, but moved a little faster once he entered the forest.

'She's here somewhere' the dog demon thought. He then looked up to see if he could spot any leaf sprites, which would be a sure sign of her presence.

'Is she hiding from me?' Sesshoumaru thought. She would've known that he could smell her if that was the case. He then walked further into the forest.

'I'm smelling her, but it's faint,' he thought. 'Is this a false scent or has she simply vanished?' All of a sudden a leaf sprite appeared before him. It then flew upward.

'A leaf sprite,' the dog demon thought. 'Maybe it can lead me to her.' He then ran after it. The leaf sprite took him to an empty patch in the forest.

At the far end was Nari, her back toward Sesshoumaru. A group of leaf sprites surrounded her, as if to protect her against something or was it someone?

"You were here all along, were you?" Sesshoumaru said. She then turned to look at him, and then let out a noise that didn't sound very friendly.

"I don't know about everything that happened to you, but do you really believe that the humans would worship you forever?" the dog demon said. Nari uttered nothing in reply, but her eyes were still focused intensely on him.

"You may be the one that ensured that they have plenty of rice every year, but do you really think that they want you around forever? A demon as their guardian?" Sesshoumaru's voice was starting to sound bitter but Nari still said nothing.

"Do you really think that you can just take a human, have a baby with him and believe that you and your child would be accepted by those humans?" Sesshoumaru said, his eyes glowing a light red. Nari then narrowed her eyes.

"Are you just going to stare at me like that?" Sesshoumaru asked. She then turned her head away from him. "If you're concerned about your child, if he is really your progeny, you wouldn't allow him to be harmed." Nari then went to the ground and put her right hand on her head, as if she was ignoring him. The dog demon took note of this.

'Is she ignoring me on purpose?' Sesshoumaru thought. 'Perhaps I should try a more direct approach.'

"Nari, do you really think that humans and demons can live with one another?" Sesshoumaru asked. That perked up her ears. She then looked back at him and uttered an inquisitive sound.

"If you're wondering that I was thinking about my father, then you should know that I'm not that low as to get worked up over something from the past," Sesshoumaru said. Nari then stood up and walked over to him. "What are you going to-" She then hugged him.

All of a sudden, the dog demon felt a link forming between them. He then realized what had just happened- Nari had created a bond between them and now his every feeling, memory and thought was now opened to her. That made him even more defensive than before.

"I thought so," Nari said. She wasn't speaking, of course, but he could hear her every thought. He knew it was because of the bond, and it made even more guarded.

"What are you talking about?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"I could smell a scent of a human on you," Nari "told" him. At that, the dog demon realized that she was talking about Rin.

"Do you really believe that I can't let her go?" the dog demon said. All of a sudden, a flurry of leaf sprites came and blocked his view. When they disappeared, she was gone.

'So she left,' Sesshoumaru thought. He then thought of Jaken and Rin. 'There's no need to be here any longer, so I shall go now.' He then did just so.

Meanwhile, the Inu-Yasha company was walking on a grassy plain. Kagome was thinking as she followed Inu-Yasha.

'I hope that Kon'ichi-kun is okay,' Kagome thought. 'He was getting very bad and if he became human, it could even kill him!' She then saw that Inu-Yasha had stopped. "What is it?"

"Kagome, do you sense any jewel shards?" he asked.

"I…don't think so," Kagome answered. She knew by past experiences who or what it was from the number of Shikon shards she sensed. If it was one and moving, it was likely from a person or demon. If it was one and not moving, it was likely in a place or embedded in a tree. If it were two and moving very fast, it was certainly Kouga. If there were more than two shards by now, it was certainly Naraku.

"Are you sure?" Inu-Yasha asked. He was getting very impatient. Kagome wondered if he was thinking about the new moon.

"I don't sense any Shikon shards," Kagome said. The dog hanyou looked back at her and sighed.

"It's possible that Naraku isn't here," Sango said. "Kagura might be here though." Inu-Yasha looked up.

"I can't sense Naraku anywhere," Inu-Yasha said. He then perked up his ears. "But I do sense a bad aura."

"I do too," Shippo said. Kirara transformed into her big self. Sango went beside her and petted her.

"It's okay," Sango said to her. Kirara growled.

"Who is it?" Kagome asked. She couldn't see anyone else beside them anywhere.

"Not good…" Inu-Yasha said. He then drew his sword. "Whoever you are, come on out!" Kagome looked at Shippo. He looked very nervous. At least Kon'ichi wasn't here now.

A black form then came out of the sky and headed right for the group.

"Watch out!" Inu-Yasha shouted. Everyone then jumped back or sideways to dodge the attack. The attack hit about four inches from Inu-Yasha's feet.

"That bastard!" the dog hanyou shouted. The black form then changed into an old monk.

'A shape-shifting demon!' Miroku thought. 'I can't sense any of his powers, but he has to be a powerful demon to conceal his powers like that!'

"You're the houshi, aren't you?" the "monk" asked. "You have the scent of my mistress' foe. I must destroy you!" At that, he started running at Miroku.

"Everyone, stand back!" Miroku yelled. "You too, Inu-Yasha! I know that he works for Tamamo-no-mae! We don't know what else he can do!" He then took out a few o-fudas.

"Kukukuku" the other "monk" said. "Do you really think those things would work on me? I've killed many of your kind before you, and the fact that Nari had chosen you to be a partial host makes me even more determined to kill you!"

"Your master has been destroyed," Miroku said. "If you want to kill me or Nari, you only show your hatred to the world!"

"So be it!" the "monk" said. "Revenge shall be mine!"

"I shall expose your weakness right now!" Miroku said. He then put his hand into the inner folds of his kesa (robe) as he continued to run.

"What is he doing?" Kagome asked.

"I think I know," Shippo replied. "What can expose a kitsune's magic?"

"I don't know" Kagome said. "I assume that you do?"

"I do," Shippo said. Miroku then pulled the item out from his robe.

"Mirror!" Miroku yelled. All of a sudden, a flash appeared. The "monk" turned into a small, white kitsune with red eyes and five long, white tails. He then snarled at Miroku.

"The mirror reveals the kitsune's true form," Shippo told them. "If it looks at the mirror, it loses its transformation powers. A mirror can only reflect what it sees."

"I see," Kagome said. The evil kitsune then unfurled its tails and a bunch of black balls came out of it. "It's going to attack us again!"

"Everyone, stand back!" Miroku ordered. "I have a way that will defend us against them!" He then took a charm out of his robe. "I shall exorcise this demon from this world!" He then threw the charm at the kitsune as it unleashed its black balls.

"Everyone, dodge them!" Shippo shouted. Everyone got away from the black balls. The balls sizzled as they hit the ground.

"Here it comes!" Miroku said. He then threw an o-fuda (paper talisman) at the white kitsune. Distracted by the charm that was just thrown at him, it failed to see the o-fuda in time to dodge it.

The fox spirit screamed as the o-fuda hit its head. Yellow fire and then black smoke came out of the kitsune. When it finally cleared, there was nothing left of it anywhere.

"Where did it go?" Kagome asked.

"Did it…disappear?" Sango said. Miroku then went to where the evil kitsune was and picked up the charm.

"What did you do, bouzu?" Inu-Yasha asked. "That was some powerful charm you got."

"It wasn't the charm that did it" Miroku said. "It was the sutra in the o-fuda that did it."

"The o-fuda?" Sango asked.

"Yes" Miroku said. "When I met Nari, she didn't just gave me a bond between me and her. She gave me some knowledge too. I now know how to expel evil fox spirits. No offense, Shippo."

"As long as you don't place them on me," the young kitsune said.

"We got to go now," Inu-Yasha said. "At least we don't have to worry about those kitsunes anymore."

'Not now anyway,' Miroku thought. All of a sudden a buzzing sound was heard.

"Don't tell me what I think it is!" Shippo said.

"Shit!" Inu-Yasha said. "Naraku's been following us! Now he knows where we are!"

"Are they just spying on us?" Shippo asked.

"I don't think that's it" Inu-Yasha said. "But if Naraku's close by, I'm going to find him and kill that bastard!" He then ran toward the wasps. "Well, are you going to go to him?"

"I think Inu-Yasha has lost it," Shippo said. Kagome, Miroku and Sango all nodded.

"What are you waiting for?" Inu-Yasha yelled back. "Let's try to find him and kill him!"

"That wouldn't be necessary, Inu-Yasha," a dark voice spoke. A cold wind then blew from the west. Everyone then looked at the source of the voice. It was a baboon figure.

"YOU!!!" Inu-Yasha said in his usual rude form. He didn't go any closer- they've been tricked by Naraku so many times before that Inu-Yasha was too hesitant to attack him.

"Kukuku…" the baboon said. "If you're looking for Nari, then I'm afraid that she's busy."

"Busy doing what?" Inu-Yasha asked. Miroku looked at the baboon with an unnatural look in his eyes.

"I have already given her a tainted jewel shard," the baboon said. "Its malice and hatred will find root in her heart and will sow a dark seed, spreading its poison like rivulets through her soul. A corrupted, dark god she'll become and she'll then kill every human in this area."

"I don't think she's that stupid," Inu-Yasha said. "I mean, she already knows who you are."

"Ah, but I didn't come to her in my original form," the baboon said. "This disguise does seem to surpass even her senses. I simply suggested to her that the jewel shard she found would enable her to increase her powers. I don't know where she founded it, but as long as she's going to kill the humans I don't care if she borrows it for a while."

'He's planning to steal it after she killed all of the humans!' Kagome thought. 'We got to find Nari and tell her about this!'

"You really think that she'll kill everyone?" Inu-Yasha said. "Even if she did, we'll deal with her like we'll deal with you!" At that, the baboon laughed.

"Kukuku" the baboon said. "If you can destroy me, then you can deal with her." He then let out a black mist.

"Inu-Yasha, it's-" Miroku started to say.

"I know!" Inu-Yasha said. He then took out his sword, which then transformed into the fang. He then swung it hard on the ground. "BACKLASH WAVE!" The yellow energy dashed right at the baboon. It then struck the baboon; both then disappeared along with the black mist.

The wooden doll then plopped right on the ground.

"Why am I not surprised?" Miroku said as he picked up the wooden doll. "At least we know that he is around here. Do you think we should go on, Inu-Yasha?" He then looked at Inu-Yasha. "Inu-Yasha?" Everyone now looked at the dog hanyou, who was looking up at the sky.

'The sun will be going down in an hour or so,' Kagome thought. 'Maybe we should settle down for the night.' She then spoke up. "Why don't we just stay here instead and wait until morning? I don't sense any jewel shards nearby."

"Fine" Inu-Yasha said, putting his sword back. "But I'm keeping watch."

"You always keep watch when you become human," Shippo said.

"Naraku don't come to us when the new moon's out, so we can just get a rest for this night at least," Miroku said.

"You're right," Inu-Yasha said. "But I know that other demons will cause trouble. They always do."

"It's hard to dispute that," Miroku said, sighing.

"If that's settled, then why don't we get ready while the sun's up? I got everyone's favourite treats!" Kagome said. At that, everyone then went to her, so they all settled down before sunset.

While they did so, a certain kitsune hanyou was looking out from the cave. He was almost at the end, watching the sun as it went down.

"Go down, go down, go down…" Kon'ichi chanted at the sky. The sun couldn't go down fast enough for him.

'I want to go out! Hurry, sun!' Kon'ichi thought. He then saw the pinkish sun (it was late summer) go down at last. He then stood up and closed his eyes.

The first thing that changed was his red hair. It was now black. His nails were now short, and his fangs were replaced with regular teeth. His black eyes now looked at the dark sky, the stars being the only things visible. He then walked outside.

'I'm free!' Kon'ichi thought. 'I'm finally free!' He then saw the leaf sprites, which now looked like streams of glittering green light in the sky.

"I want to go to my home village" Kon'ichi said. "Can you take me there?" The leaf sprites then flew off, with a now fully human Kon'ichi following them.

End of Chapter Ten

Kon'ichi, now a human boy, is on his way to his home village, but what reception will he get once he's there? Will the Inu-Yasha group find Naraku? And what of Nari and Sesshoumaru? There are three more chapters to go, so please read on. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please don't forget to review!


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven of "Kon'ichi's Story" by Melinda-chan

The leaf sprites let out a greenish glow as the now fully human Kon'ichi followed them through the grass. There was no moon, so he had to see them for any light.

"Is Mama near?" Kon'ichi asked. The leaf sprites didn't respond, but just went on their way. Kon'ichi followed them to a big hill.

'What is this?' Kon'ichi thought. He then looked over the hill. 'It's the village!'

The black-haired boy walked down the hill and entered the village. He took a sniff of the air. His sense of smell was just as weak as a full-blooded human boy, but he still could smell any smoke. He didn't.

"Are you sure that this is the village?" Kon'ichi asked the leaf sprites. They then flew over the houses, emitting a green glow everywhere.

"I see!" Kon'ichi said. He then went down the hill and went through the road that came through the village.

'This looks like my village!' Kon'ichi thought. 'But all of the houses looks empty! Did they all leave?' The leaf sprites then flew north. Kon'ichi followed them.

All of a sudden he heard voices.

"Do you think we have a chance?" a man's voice caused Kon'ichi to look his way. He then saw a big fire with a group of people around it.

"I don't know" another man said. Kon'ichi recognized him as the village head. "But we have to do something quickly or she'll destroy us all!"

"Stillm we're just a bunch of normal people," a young man that Kon'ichi recognized as Ryuji said. "How are we going to defeat a demon?"

"We have to do something" the village head said. "I know that we have a very low chance but I bet if we can make a trap and send her to a fiery death, we can defeat her." Kon'ichi gasped.

'They're trying to kill Mama!' he thought. 'I got to find her and warn her about their plan before they kill her!' Just as he was about to get up and try to find his mother, a shadow came over him.

"Who are you, child?" a man asked. Kon'ichi hesitated. What was he going to say?

"I-I don't know," Kon'ichi said. He was starting to feel very warm. Sweat came down his face.

"Are you okay?" the man asked. "I'm Eiji."

"Eiji..." Kon'ichi started to say when the fever returned in full force. He practically dropped in front of the man's feet.

"Who's child is this?" one of the other men asked. The group now went to Eiji. He picked up the boy.

"Was he sleepwalking?" another man asked.

"I don't know" Eiji said. "In fact, I don't think I saw him before."

"Where did he came from?" one of the men asked.

"What are we going to do with him?" a woman asked.

"He needs a place to sleep for the night," Eiji said. "We can at least give him that."

"Very well," the headman said. "Let us find a place for him to sleep." Kon'ichi was then taken inside a hut and onto a futon.

"Do you know where his home is?" the female attendant asked.

"I don't know" Eiji said. "We don't have much, but we can at least give him some water."

A few minutes later, Kon'ichi felt a cold cloth come upon his head. He tried to open his eyes, but realized that he was almost in total darkness. The moon wasn't out, so it was black inside the hut.

"Where am I?" Kon'ichi asked. "What happened to me?"

"You fell ill, so we got you here until the sun comes out and we can look for your home," the girl said.

"Ume-chan?" Kon'ichi asked.

"How do you know my name?" the girl asked.

"Ah I know a girl by that name," Kon'ichi said.

"Oh I see," Ume said. She then handed him a bowl of water. "Here's some water for you."

"Thank you so much!" Kon'ichi said. He was about to take a sip from it when Ume spoke again.

"So what's your name?" she asked. Kon'ichi stopped at once. What was he supposed to say? He did come here to tell everyone what really happened but in his human form he was not afraid that they may kill him even if he revealed himself. He then decided to play it safe until the sun came out and he could defend himself if he needed to.

"Kon-Koichi" he said.

"Koichi!" Ume said. "I am going to get Hana-ue and tell her that you woke up. You should get some rest. You still sound a bit weak."

"Yeah" Kon'ichi said.

"I'll get her right now" Ume said. She then left.

'I hope nobody notices that I am Kon'ichi until the sun comes up' Kon'ichi thought. 'They don't know what I look like in human form since I always go with Mama every new moon. Did she do that because she knew what could happen to me if I did stay here while I was human?' He was about to sit up when a young woman walked in.

"Are you getting better?" the woman asked.

"I think so," Kon'ichi said. "I'm sorry but I was poisoned by a demon and I must've wandered off and-"

"A demon!" the woman said. "Child, I know that it wasn't your fault but you have to be extremely careful when going out at night! Demons are lurking around this area so you better stay here until at least the morning."

"I-I heard that you guys are trying to kill a demon," Kon'ichi said. "Are you really going to do it?"

"We used to have a demon as a guardian" the woman said. "But now she's gone insane. I don't know what happened but if she really wants to kill us all, we have no choice but to defend ourselves."

"Do you really think that she's insane?" Kon'ichi asked.

"There can be no doubt," the woman said. "We've seen her many times before and she always wears the same kimono. You see, she had a child that used to live here." At that, Kon'ichi perked his ears up. "He was a good boy, but now this has happened, it's unlikely that he'll come here again." She then paused. "Every new moon she would come and take him away. We don't know why but it's obvious that she didn't completely trust us with his safety."

'Is that why she did that?' Kon'ichi thought.

"I know that we may not be the greatest people but we did our best" the woman said. "In any case I should go and get you some gruel." She then put her hand on his forehead. "I know that you likely wandered off due to the fever but I also know that your parents must be very worried about you right now. Once the sun comes up, we'll try to find your home so that you can be reunited with them." She then left, leaving Kon'ichi by himself.

'You're trying to kill my mother,' Kon'ichi thought. He then laid his head back on the futon as memories flooded his mind.

FLASHBACK BEGINS

"Aka-chan!" a small, red-headed boy looked at the other boys. All of them looked at him as he went to him.

"Kojiro!" Kon'ichi shouted. The boy went up to him.

"Aka-chan, did you have a good time with your mother?" Kojiro asked. He was slightly taller than Kon'ichi and had his hair done in a bun while Kon'ichi was combed down.

"Yes!" Kon'ichi said. All of the children then gathered around him.

"What did she do to you?" Kojiro asked.

"Nothing" Kon'ichi said. "She's my mother."

"So you did nothing?" Kojiro said.

"Oh no! We walked all night long and saw many things," Kon'ichi said. "If you never went out at night and looked at the stars or saw the leaf sprites in the sky, you're missing out."

"I wish I could do that" Kojiro said. One of the boys then jeered at Kon'ichi.

"Is that all you did?" he said. "That doesn't sound like fun at all."

"I like it," Kon'ichi said.

"Why do you always go to your mother every new moon anyway?" another boy asked. He had a red birthmark on his right cheek.

"Kazuo-kun, I go to my mother because, well, she's my mother," Kon'ichi replied. "And I like going to her and seeing where she takes me." He then saw an old woman walking toward them. "Hello, Obaa-sama!"

"You call me Obaa-sama?" the old woman said. "I'm not your grandmother, child." She then saw the other children. "The reason why this boy has to go to his mother every new moon is because his mother, Nari, the kitsune guardian of this village, wants it that way! We also have to bring her rice every month so she can continue to protect this village." She then took a closer look at Kon'ichi. "I wish that she can take you out of here but if it's the only thing that's keeping her from leaving this village so be it!" Kon'ichi then looked down.

"Yeah why don't you just leave with your mother?" a boy asked, holding a piece of rice cake in his hands.

"I don't know" Kon'ichi replied. The old woman just walked away.

"If your mother's a demon, then does that make you an half-demon?" another boy asked. Kon'ichi was starting to feel very nervous.

"What are you doing?" another boy's voice caused everyone to turn to see a taller boy standing there.

"Ichiru!" Kon'ichi said.

"Where's your manners?" Ichiru said. "Address me with respect!"

"Yes, Onii-chan," Kon'ichi said.

"I know that I am your older half-brother" Ichiru said. "But I don't like the fact that I have to look after you. Your mother seduced my father! Why do I have to take care of you when your mother should be the one doing it?" He then looked at the other boys. "If you want to play with him, go ahead." He then looked back at Kon'ichi. "You can stay here until Dad or Mom gets at my back again. I still don't understand why you should be here anyway. If you want to go now, do it." Kon'ichi looked at the other boys. They all then left.

"Ichiru-kun! Why did you do that for?" Kon'ichi asked. "I can live here too! Papa even said that!"

"Listen" Ichiru said. "I know that Papa said that you can live here but you're not one of us if you get it."

"But Papa said that I could stay here until Mama comes back for me!" Kon'ichi said.

"Only he said that," Ichiru said. He then frowned. "But why are you here? If you needed protection, why would your mother abandon you here?"

"Mama will never do that!" Kon'ichi said out loud.

"I wouldn't count on it" Ichiru said. "After all, she's a demon."

"What does that mean?" Kon'ichi asked.

"You mean you don't know?" Ichiru asked. He then grinned maliciously. "All children abandoned their children after a while."

"That can't be true!" Kon'ichi said, looking horrified. "Mama will never abandon me!"

"That may be true" Ichiru said. "But you never know with demons!"

"But Mama will never abandon me!" Kon'ichi said. "Mama will never abandon me!"

END OF FLASHBACK

"Mama will never abandon me!" Kon'ichi said. He then moved his fingers over the blanket. "I know that!" Tears fell down his face. He thought of his mother.

"I know that she'll never abandon me," Kon'ichi said. He then put his head back on the pillow and sighed. He didn't really know what was going on with Mama. If she really did abandon him-

"NO!" Kon'ichi yelled. He then lowered his voice. "I can't believe that she'll do that! She's my mother after all!" Kon'ichi then sat up and started to cry again.

Kon'ichi knew that the sun was going to rise when he felt his teeth and nails lengthening again.

'My hair's getting longer too!' Kon'ichi thought. 'I'm changing!' He then went out. The sun was rising!

'I got to go to the headmanfirst' Kon'ichi thought. 'If I can persuade him, then I can persuade everyone else too!' He then walked to the headman's house.

"Excuse me sir?" Kon'ichi said. The guard took one look and went inside the house. Kon'ichi became even more confused.

'Doesn't he know me?' Kon'ichi thought. He then saw a group of men heading toward him. 'I know them! They can help me!' He then ran toward them.

He was met by a blow to the head.

"You demon!" the man said. He then threw another rock at the kitsune hanyou. The boy went down onto the ground in pain.

"Ow!" Kon'ichi said. He then opened his eyes to see a big rock heading for his head. "Hey!" He then saw one of the other men take a sword and run at him.

"I shall destroy you demon!" the man said. Kon'ichi had to dodge to avoid being sliced in half. But as he did that, the sword cut his necklace removing it from his neck and went onto the ground. Kon'ichi's eyes turned red for a second but it then went back to brown again.

"You're that demon kid!" a woman yelled. Kon'ichi turned to see a crowd being assembled. The kitsune tried to run away but couldn't find any escape.

"Your mother killed your own father!" another woman said. "She seduced him then gave birth to a halfling!" At that, Kon'ichi's eyes turned red and he clenched his fists.

"Mama will never kill Papa!" Kon'ichi said. "And stop talking like Mama's some kind of whore!"

"But your mother did seduce him!" the woman said. "A demon's a demon and she also killed his-"

"NO SHE DIDN'T!" Kon'ichi said. "She's not a killer!" His voice was so loud that a number of people came out of their homes but they quickly went back inside again. A few kids came out as well but their parents put them inside. There will be a lot of things that will happen that they didn't want their children to see.

"You think she didn't do it?" another woman said. "We all saw her enter the village and destroy the hut that he was living in! We saw everything!"

"But she wasn't the one that you saw!" Kon'ichi said. "That wasn't Mama! That was some other-"

"How do you know it wasn't your mother?" one of the men asked.

"It's only natural for a child to defend its mother," an old woman said. "But a demon did kill him and his real family and you can't deny it!"

"What do you mean by his real family?" Konichi said, having enough. "I am his son, aren't I? And as for Mama, did he not treat him well?" His eyes started to turn red again. "Why are you blaming Mama when all this time she took care of me and protected this village?"

"Look! His eyes are turning red!" a man said. He had a big spear in his hands.

"He's turning into a full demon!" a woman hollered.

"Let's kill him before he transforms and kills us all!" a big man said.

"Yes!" the crowd said at once. At that, stones and spears started to be thrown at him. One of them cut his cheek.

'Hate them...kill them...' a voice entered Kon'ichi's mind. He felt himself boil like a simmering pot. Thoughts of hatred and malice entered his soul, poisoning it. He then felt like a roaring fire as the demon part of him finally came out. His eyes turned blood red and both his claws and fangs fully lengthened.

"He's really turning into a full demon!" a woman yelled in horror. Kon'ichi then let out a big growl and then jumped on a woman. She screamed in terror as her last sight was one of Kon'ichi's claws coming at her neck.

Her scream was soon followed by a dozen others.

In another part of the area, Nari was walking in the forest. Her leaf sprites followed her as she went into the woods. Every step she took caused the grass to grow and nearby flowers to bloom. However she herself didn't look happy. Her steps were slow, as if she was being cautious.

All of a sudden the leaf sprites dispersed. The red-haired woman looked to her left. A baboon figure appeared from the trees.

"I see that I couldn't deceive you" the baboon figure said. Nari's eyes turned red at the sight of him. "Now, now, I'm not here to cause you any trouble. In fact, I want to help you." At that, Nari growled.

"Now don't be like that" the baboon figure said. "You know that your son has disobeyed you and has gone back to the village." At that, Nari's eyes widened. "I don't have to tell you what may happen if they see him." He then opened up his palm. "I can help you defeat them." She then saw a jewel shard in his hand. "A simple should help you with your task." Nari looked at it curiously.

'Yes,' the bamboo figure thought. 'Take it. Let the shard corrupt you and make you into a dark spirit- a spirit that'll destroy the pathetic humans and collect more shards so I can even be more powerful than before.' She continued to look at it for a few minutes when she turned her head.

'Hmm?' the bamboo figure thought. He then saw her run off. 'Kukuku...I see that you've finally noticed what's going on. I shall watch the show in amusement from a far off place. Let's see if you can save your son from the monster within him.' He then departed from view.

Not far away, Sesshoumaru stopped walking.

"What is it, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken asked.

"I smell blood," the dog demon replied.

End of Chapter Eleven

Now that Kon'ichi had snapped, is there any hope of saving him? Will Nari be able to save her son? What about Inu-Yasha's gang? And what is Naraku up to? Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Don't forget to review!


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